By Adeleye Kunle
SENATORS yesterday backed the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, into a corner by refusing to allow open debate on the country’s recurring cases of insecurity, including massive kidnappings, killings, and wanton destruction of property by terrorists.
Senators questioned why the issue of insecurity was not on the Order Paper at the start of plenary, according to Track News Nigeria .
Senators became enraged when the President of the Senate refused to recognize any point of order on the matter, and told Lawan that no issue would be tabled for discussion in the hallowed chamber outside of insecurity.
Senators were irritated when they returned to plenary over the terrorists’ threat to attack President Muhammadu Buhari, Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir el-Rufai, and senators.
According to sources, as pressure mounted on Lawan to discuss the matter, he became agitated and was said to have asked senators to set aside their emotions in order not to overheat the polity.
The senators raised the alarm following the death of a captain and two soldiers by terrorists on Sunday night in the Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); the closure of Federal Government Colleges; the attack on President Buhari’s convoy; and the attack on Kuje Prison, among other atrocities committed by terrorists across the country.
Remember that terrorists who attacked and abducted train passengers on their way from Abuja to Kaduna on March 28, 2022, identified President Buhari, El-Rufai, and senators as their next targets in a viral video.
The terrorists were seen flogging the captives in their den in the same video.
Surprisingly, senators directly on the terrorists’ death list did not think it necessary to bring up or discuss the issue, even behind closed doors in an executive session.
Threat of impeachment
Unhappy with the development, senators threatened Lawan with impeachment proceedings against President Buhari, forcing him to agree that the issue of insecurity be discussed openly today in plenary rather than in closed session.
“We were not happy that the issue of insecurity did not come up for discussion today (yesterday), and with this, we shouted out to the President of the Senate that it must be discussed, and when he refused, we threatened that we will begin impeachment proceedings against President Buhari because the country is not safe,” a source told Vanguard.
“This forced Lawan to yield, ensuring that the matter will be discussed openly tomorrow (today) rather than behind closed doors.”
Bill on Arms Proliferation
Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday approved legislation to create the National Commission for the Coordination and Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation.
The National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2022, was passed after the Committee on National Security and Intelligence considered a report.
The bill combines two private-member bills and one from the Executive branch of government to combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
The Nigerian National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020 (SB. 283); The Nigerian National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020 (SB. 513); and The National Centre for the Coordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2021 (SB. 513). (SB. 794).
The post Insecurity: How Lawan saved Buhari from impeachment appeared first on Track News.
