31st January, 2018
In a letter to Senate President Bukola Saraki, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to review the entire national security architecture to tackle the security challenges confronting the country.
The letter dated Jan. 25, 2018 was read by Saraki during Wednesday’s plenary.
“Action is being initiated and I expect to receive maximum cooperation from the Senate in line with Paragraph Three of the Senate resolutions”, President Buhari wrote.
“As I briefed you and the Rt. Hon Speaker when we met on the Jan. 14, several courses of action have been taken prior to the senate resolution.
“You may recall that I told you of the following steps taken as soon as the information came to me about the Benue killings.
“On Thursday, Jan. 4, I sent the Minister of Interior and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
“On Friday, Jan. 5, the Inspector-General of Police briefed me verbally on the latest situation. Calm had then been restored’’.
“On Monday, Jan. 8, the Minister of Interior met with the governors of Adamawa, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa.
“This was together with the DG of the State Security Services, IG-P, Commandant General Civil Defence, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The Commissioners of Police from the six aforementioned states and Comptrollers of Civil Defence of the six aforementioned states were part of the meeting.
“At the instance of Governor Samuel Ortom, a meeting was held in the presidential villa on Jan. 15 with a cross-section of Benue people where frank and open discussions were held.
“Everybody appreciated the difficulties of the farmers-herders strife. I assured all of my commitment and assured justice would be done’’, the letter said.
“To infer therefore that nothing has been done, is incorrect. The police are strenuously working to apprehend the rest of the culprits of these heartless killings’’.
“The Senate’s resolution itemized in your letter would be taken into consideration and I am instructing all relevant MDAs to factor them in their work’’.
The president therefore reiterated his commitment to review the national security architecture of the country as promised in his inaugural address.