The Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu, has called for urgent investigation into the alleged ransom payment to kidnappers and bandits by government entities across the country.
Kalu, who made the appeal yesterday during the House of Representatives special session on National Security held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, also urged for institutional accountability, as well as transparency in fund management, among security agencies.
The Special Session by the Green Chamber was necessitated by the recent deteriorating security situation in the country, and the need for national response and support to complement President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in combating the insecurity.
Speaking further, Kalu, while decrying the nation’s security situation most especially in some geopolitical zones of the country, equally emphasised that weak institutions, inadequate funding and lack of accountability have contributed grossly to the security threats being faced by Nigeria.
While condemning, in strong terms, the alleged amnesty deals and ransom payment to kidnappers and bandits, Kalu explained that such claims could embolden criminal elements and groups to continue in their illegal activities of unleashing terror on innocent Nigerians and citizenry.
Lawmakers took turns to demand for more effective and coordinated strategies to confront the escalating wave of violent attacks across multiple states. The session was summoned amid a series of distressing incidents involving mass abductions and targeted killings, reflecting parliament’s growing concern over the country’s worsening security landscape.
Declaring the session open, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, said the nation was living through “unprecedented national challenges” that required calm judgment, strategic thinking, and unity of purpose, adding that the House’s decision to suspend all other matters to focus solely on security was neither symbolic nor procedural, but a necessary reflection of the urgency of the moment.
“This is a time that demands thoughtful action, not sensational responses,” Abbas said.
The speaker also welcomed a number of high-level guests seated in the gallery, including officials of the United States Embassy in Nigeria, and a visiting delegation led by the Speaker of the Parliament of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Lanien Blanchette.
He also acknowledged civil society leaders present at the session noting that their continued advocacy for peace, justice, and accountability remained vital in strengthening democratic responses to insecurity.
Abbas equally lamented the spate of recent violent attacks that have shaken the nation, including mass abductions in Niger and Kebbi states and the kidnapping of worshippers in Kwara State stressing that those incidents, which unfolded in rapid succession, revealed an alarming level of coordination among violent groups and highlighted the scale of the threat confronting Nigeria.
“Families are grieving; citizens are anxious. The nation is on edge,” he said.
The speaker commended security agencies for their rapid response to recent attacks, noting that Tinubu’s directive to redeploy police personnel from very important personnel (VIPs) protection duties to frontline operations had strengthened rescue efforts even as he cited the recovery of worshippers in Kwara State and several abducted students in Niger as evidence of improved coordination.
Despite these efforts, Abbas acknowledged that Nigeria still faces a complex and rapidly evolving security environment noting that while earlier reforms under the current administration had yielded measurable gains—including the release of thousands of captives and a decline in high-volume abductions—new forms of violence were resurfacing, driven by domestic pressures and regional instability across the Sahel.
He emphasised that these challenges required a more robust and integrated approach.
in his contributions, the Minority Leader of the House, Hon Kingsley Chinda, acknowledged that much is needed to be done to secure the lives and properties of the citizens and called on Nigerians to be united against the menace of terrorists and other criminal groups.
Other lawmakers who spoke during the occasion expressed deep sense of support urging the government to recruit more security personnel as well as engage hi technology equipment among others.