The lower chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, the House of Representatives have asked the President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency following the worsening state of the nation’s security.
The House made the resolution during Tuesday’s plenary after a 4-hour Executive Session.
On Monday, Nigeria recorded a spate of bad security reports in different parts of the country, ranging from communal clashes to more abductions of University undergraduates and the killing of two other students of Greenfield university, Kaduna. Security reports were also gotten from Anambra State where at least ten people died in clashes, while on Tuesday, the Ebonyi State High Court was burnt by irate youths.
Banditry and terrorism remain foremost challenges with Boko Haram terrorists inching closer to the Federal Capital Territory. This was confirmed in a report by Niger State governor while addressing journalists. He disclosed that the terrorists’ current hideout is in Shiroro, and if not stopped in their tracks, may move towards Abuja sooner than later.
The rising tension in the country has also prompted the President to request the American government’s relocation of the headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command from Germany to a closer country.
The President, in a virtual meeting with United States’ Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, assured Nigeria his government is determined to beat the country’s security challenges.
He added that the problems at the Gulf of Guinea and Lake Chad region necessitated the request for AFRICOM to be relocated near the theatre of operations.
At least, 600 Nigerians have been kidnapped in 2021 with almost 100 killed across the country drawing from various security reports.
