The Senate has urged security agencies to deploy more troops to restore law and order in Benue following the bandit attacks and killings in Gwer-West Local Government Area of the state.

This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sen. Titus Zam (APC-Benue) at plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.

Zam, in a motion of urgent national importance, said there was an attack on March 10 which resulted in the killing of four persons in the council area.

He said because of the attack; irate youths took to the streets in protest against the continued killings of the people and the government’s seeming inability to protect them.

The senator said that the youth, out of anger and frustration, burnt down the local government secretariat and the palace of the traditional ruler of the area, his own private residence and the houses of older prominent indigenes of the region.

He said that the youth accused them of inability to safeguard the community.

Zam said that he had, on several occasions, moved motions and presented views on the subject matter, including open grazing prohibition and ranch establishment. He said that the bill was awaiting a public hearing.

He said that the state House of Assembly had enacted open grazing prohibition law, which still subsists.

According to him, the inability of the present administration in Benue to enforce the law has exposed members of the National Assembly from the state to undue prejudice and name-calling by their constituents.

“This situation has emboldened the bandits and further worsened the security situation in Benue state and beyond,” he said.

The lawmaker said that bandits' incessant attacks on the community and the local government would negatively impact food production and agricultural activities, thus jeopardising food security and the livelihoods of residents of the affected council area.

Sen. Abba Moro (PDP-Benue), who seconded the motion, said it was sad that the state government's continued silence and inaction had resulted in citizens attacking elected representatives and residents of various communities.

“On several occasions, issues of insecurity, especially in Benue State, bordering on farmer/herders’ clashes have been raised on the floor of the Senate.

“In most cases, no statements of condemnation or demonstration of empathy have been shown by the government of Benue State.

“As I speak now, those of us elected into this senate are endangered species because our communities think, and unfortunately very wrongly, that it is our responsibility to provide security.

“And so, Mr President, I think that these killings, this vandalism of property of the people who the communities feel should be responsible for their security, is one too many.

“I urge the senate, in this particular instance, to take a very strong view of this situation because we used to hear about farmers clashing with the herdsmen, we used to hear about kidnappers, we used to hear about Boko Haram insurgency.

“But this one is about citizens who have been frustrated by these activities and are taking it on on their fellow citizens.

“It’s a very serious dimension to the current level of insecurity, especially in Benue State. I want to say that we owe it a responsibility to condemn these activities and to ensure that we advise appropriately the various government agencies,” he said.

Moro urged the state government to take appropriate steps to safeguard the lives and property of the citizens.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the senate thereafter observed a minute silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the attacks.

It also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to send relief materials to the affected communities.

The Senate equally called on the state government to enforce the state's open grazing, prohibition and ranche establishment laws.

It also mandated its Committee on National Security, Army and Navy to visit the affected local government area to assess the situation on the spot and sympathise with the bereaved families and all those affected by the crisis.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said that the upcoming meeting with the security agencies with the senate would also centre around the security issues in Benue.