The Senate has expressed outrage over the abduction of 87 students and teachers in separate attacks across Borno and Oyo states, describing the incidents as a direct threat to the future of the country.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele made the condemnation in a statement issued on Sunday through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs.
Bamidele said the latest kidnappings were disturbing, especially years after about $30 million was reportedly raised internationally in 2014 to improve security in public and private schools across Nigeria.
The attacks occurred on Friday when suspected gunmen stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A Primary School in Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 45 students and teachers.
Within the same period, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, where 42 students were kidnapped.
Reacting to the incidents, Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the development further highlighted the urgent need for the establishment of state police across the country.
He disclosed that the 10th National Assembly was already at an advanced stage of amending the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for state policing.
According to him, once the National Assembly concludes its legislative process, the proposal would be forwarded to the various state houses of assembly for ratification.
He explained that the proposal would be transmitted “to the State Houses of Assembly for consideration and scrutiny, which would require a two-thirds approval before the state police could come on stream.”
Bamidele appealed to governors and state lawmakers to handle the issue with seriousness, stressing that the initiative should not be politicised or viewed through ethnic or religious sentiments.
While awaiting the establishment of state police, the Senate leader urged both federal and state governments to strengthen the Safe School Initiative as a temporary measure to protect schools and students.
He noted that Nigeria currently has about 18.3 million out-of-school children, warning that the continuous abduction of students and teachers poses a major setback to national development.
According to him, the National Assembly would intensify legislative efforts against insecurity when plenary resumes on June 2.
“One of such initiatives is the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution that seeks to establish state police, which is now at an advanced stage.
“Another is the amendment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 aimed at strengthening the system of consequence in the country’s justice sector and discouraging heinous crimes nationwide,” he said.