President of the
Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has urged security agencies in
the country not to treat claims that Boko Haram Islamic terrorists are
recruiting members from Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the
North-east with levity. Instead, he urged them to urgently investigate
the issue to unravel those behind the menace, if any.
In
a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph
Olaniyonu, in Abuja, Saraki said it had become necessary for the
nation’s intelligence outfits to take such rumours seriously with the
aim of curtailing the untoward development.
“Seeing that ISIS has
been recruiting members from European refugee camps, and the Kenyan
government recently had to shut down the world’s largest refugee camp
because Al-Shaabab was using the place to train and recruit young people as extremists, it is important that we take the rumours about Boko Haram recruiting from IDP camps seriously,” he said.
The
Senate President further reiterated his call for a more holistic
investigation of alleged diversion of materials meant for the IDPs last
week.
He
commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for
investigating and arresting a contractor who allegedly diverted 60
trucks of grains that were allocated to IDPs in Borno State by the
Federal Government.
He
said that in order to secure aid and funding from international
partners, there was a need for a better coordinated response by the
Federal Government to the situation in the North East.
“What
is clear right now is that we cannot do this alone. This is why we need
to ensure that we put everything that we can in place to ensure that
the international community is involved at maximum capacity,” he added.
On
the arrest of the contractor, the Senate President denounced the
actions of individuals who were attempting to enrich themselves off the
plight of the IDPs, stating that it was unconscionable for anyone to
attempt to defraud millions of displaced Nigerians in the North East
that are on the verge of becoming malnourished.
“I have been to the zone twice in the past 14 months and I have experienced firsthand that the IDPs need
as much food and health supplies as they can get. It is utterly immoral
for someone to withhold food – in an attempt to enrich himself – while
women and children are starving,” Saraki said.
Saraki
added that he was already making consultations on whether or not to
call a Senate public hearing to deliberate on the government’s response
to the IDP crisis, which many observers have called a looming
humanitarian crisis – if not properly addressed.
“If
we all have to sit down with the various stakeholders at the Senate to
find out what the institutional and logistical hindrances are, that’s
what we are going to do,” the Senate President stated, “It is not enough
for us to say that there is a problem, we need to push out solutions
quickly; hunger will not wait for anyone.”
Saraki
also expressed optimism on the passage of the North East Development
Commission (NEDC) Bill as he said the Senate was using the period of
the recess to iron out the creases needed to ensure a smooth passage of
the Bill.
“I
am confident that we are at the last stretch on the NEDC Bill – at
least as far as the Senate is concerned,” he said, “When we return from
the recess, it will be very high on our list of priority legislative
interventions.”
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