By Emmanuel Adesuji, Abuja. The Senate yesterday summoned the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall Alex Badeh, Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Minnimah to give account on current security situation in the North- east which has been under insurgency for several months.
The Deputy Governor of Borno state, Zanna Mustapha, had said in Yola on last week that going by the ease with which Boko Haram was capturing territories in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the three North-Eastern states would soon be history.
Briefing newsmen, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army and Defence, Senator Gorge Sekibo, said the service chiefs have been summoned by the committee of the Senate to come and explain the security situation in North east which has been under Boko-Haram attacks.
Senator Sekibo said the service chiefs are expected to appear before the committee on Thursday(13 November) to let the lawmakers know their challenges facing them in the region which has been under emergency rule for past one- half year.
According to him, the service chiefs are going to appear before our committee on Thursday to let us know what is going on the North-East and also to take inventory of equipment bought by security agencies.
The chairman said, ”i know as a senate we have done whatever we need to do to support the armed forces to combat and bring insurgents to their knees. i also believe that virtually all the directives the senate has passed on to the president he has also honored them including the recent one billion dollar loan that was requested.
“I believe that in addition to the one billion dollars through the office of the national security adviser they will also be providing funds for the purchase of military equipment but for us to wake up and hear that we are being over run in some areas is embarrassing.
“I believe that we cannot stay here while we have not heard from the service chiefs that is why we have summoned the service chiefs tomorrow by one o clock. We want to hear from them to know areas they are lacking and whatever the problems is.
“We want to advise them to properly open up because Nigerians are tired of asking the same questions. We want to ask questions different from what we have been asking.
“I believe everyone is worried especially after the last bombing in the school in Yobe state the elections are coming so fast so close in d next few weeks people are going for primaries and we are worried whether our colleagues in the north east can go for primaries where will they start from. i believe that after the meeting tomorrow some of these questions will be answered.
“Between the last declaration of state of emergency till now mr president heeding to the voice of National Assembly has procured some equipment and one of the issues we are going to have tomorrow at the meeting is to have an inventory of equipment we have on ground we also want to be sure that we have competent manpower, how did the insurgents get their equipment how did they get them through the border,” he added.
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