THE Senate has condemned in very strong terms, the killing of 56 Nigerians, the abduction of women and children in Konkoso Village, Niger State, describing the attack as brutal and unacceptable.
Recall that terrorists on 14th February attacked communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, killing many people and abducting several others, while setting multiple houses ablaze, including a police station.
The Senate has called for the immediate deployment of additional security personnel to the affected local government areas to strengthen rapid response and prevent further attacks.
The Upper Chamber has mandated its Committees on Defense, Army, Air Force, Police Affairs, and National Security to conduct a joint assessment and report back within four weeks.
The Senate observed a minute of silence for the victims and extended condolences to bereaved families, as well as the government and people of Niger State.
Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion of urgent national importance moved by Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East.
The assailants reportedly moved to Paso on Saturday after encountering little resistance from security forces, burning more houses and a police station.
Presenting the motion, Senator Musa told his colleagues that more than 56 citizens were killed in Konkoso and nearby Pissa villages, while several women and children were abducted.
According to him, the affected communities share boundaries with strategic forests linking neighboring states, creating corridors exploited by terrorists for cross-border movements and coordinated criminal operations.
Musa warned that the North Central region has witnessed rising attacks on rural communities and farmlands, threatening food security, local economies, and broader national stability.
Senator Musa commended President Bola Tinubu and security agencies for sustained counterterrorism efforts, acknowledging sacrifices made by troops confronting violent extremism across the country.
However, the Senator expressed concern that repeated assaults on remote communities reveal gaps in intelligence gathering, coordination, rapid response capabilities, and sustained territorial security presence.
He added that the abduction of women and children has deepened the humanitarian crisis, inflicting lasting psychological trauma on families and destabilising affected communities.
Musa stressed that without structural reforms and modernisation of Nigeria’s security framework, similar tragedies could persist despite ongoing military and intelligence operations nationwide.
Seconding the motion, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Monguno, APC, Borno North called for increased budget allocation to security agencies to tackle insecurity.
He said, “In the course of the ongoing budget defense, we discovered that there were zero capital budget releases to security agencies.
“So in line with the President’s declaration of state of emergency on security, prominence should be given to security agencies.”