Vice President Namadi Sambo made the call at a National Symposium, organised by Nasirul-Lahi-Faith Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) with the theme: “Islam and Peaceful Co-Existence in a Contemporary Multi-Religious Society.”
It is clear today that the terrorist attacks are clearly against all segments of our society, which is uncalled for.
Sambo expressed concern over the activities of some groups whose activities portrayed Islam in a negative and evil light, saying: “I am not aware of any religion in the world that encourages unprovoked and relentless attack on other people. ”
He said government was doing all it could to tackle the menace of insecurity occasioned by the activities of militant groups across the country.
Sambo gave the assurance that the activities of militant groups in the country would not jeopardise government’s effort at stimulating Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs).
The vice-president commended the organisers of the symposium, saying that it would help educate the public on the Islamic view of peaceful co-existence and the concept of Jihad.
He enumerated the milestone the Goodluck Jonathan-led government had made toward ensuring the success of the Transformation Agenda, to include improved electricity supply; education and transportation system.
In his remark, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, averred that the search for peace and mutual coexistence remained one of the greatest challenges facing the country.
According to him, impunity has become the order of the day, while the values of tolerance and moderation which provided the bedrock of Nigeria’s religious and collective existence are being trampled on.
The Sultan enjoined the Muslim Ummah to strive at all times to discharge their responsibilities seriously and effectively and to promote moderation and toleration in the society.
He commended NASFAT for its laudable socio-economic activities in the country.
The National President of NASFAT, Sheriff Yussuf, had earlier explained that the symposium was being organised to help find solutions to the current security challenges in country.
Senate committee on interior urges stronger bilateral relations with African countries
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Abubakar Bagudu, has stressed the need for Nigeria to strengthen bilateral relations with other African countries to address its security challenges.
Bagudu made the call in Abuja during an oversight function by the committee to the Ministry of Interior.
He said there was need for the country to work with countries that shared common borders with Nigeria for tighter surveillance and monitoring of its borders.
He noted that security issues being faced in the country required coordinated efforts between the agencies and their counterparts in Africa.
Bagudu urged the Federal Executive Council to reposition the ministry in line with its Transformation Agenda to enable it to discharge its duty of providing internal security.
He said the ministry had over the years been sidelined and turned into a mere supervisory organ.
The chairman urged a better collaboration between the ministry, traditional institutions and religious leaders in the face of security challenges facing the country.
Earlier, the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, called for a speedy passage of both the Immigration and Prisons bills pending before the National Assembly.
Moro blamed the congestion in prisons in the country on the outdated regulations of the service, adding that they delayed the trial of inmates.
According to him, the passage of the amendment bill to the Prisons Act would speed up trial of 70 per cent of inmates awaiting trial.
He blamed the country’s undefined borders for the security challenges being experienced.
Moro said countries within the Lake Chad Basin, including Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Nigeria had already signed a bilateral agreement on air patrol of the area.
Reps urges IGP to ensure effective highway patrol
The House of Representatives has urged the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar to train and provide his personnel with necessary communication gadgets and vehicles to ensure effective patrol of the country's highways.
This resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Rep. Bamidele Faparusi (ACN-Ekiti) in Abuja on Thursday, and it was unanimously adopted without debate.
Faparusi said that the country’s highways were death traps, because of the activities of hoodlums and armed robbers.
The Nigerian society has become prone to all manners of criminal activities to the extent that hoodlums have taken over the highways.
He emphasised that it was the responsibility of government to make the highways safe for people to travel in pursuit of their legitimate businesses.
Similarly, the House urged the Inspector-General of Police to unveil a strategic master plan to combat insecurity while intensifying highway patrols in the country.
The resolution emanated from a motion moved by Rep. Chris Asibogu (PDP-Anambra) which was unanimously adopted.
Asibogu noted that the state of insecurity in Anambra in particular, and the country in general was a disaster and needed urgent solutions.
Asibogu said that the activities of armed bandits in the South East were adversely affecting economic activities of the people and urged his colleagues to support the motion as it was a straight forward one.
Rep. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas (ACN-Lagos) in her contribution, said the Police were not effective in combating crime which had taken over the whole country.
She called for the establishment of state police that would also help in bridging the language barrier inhibiting against personnel of the police force posted to states other than their own.
Rep. Ezenwa Onyewuchi (APGA-Imo) who supported the motion, said the country was moving toward anarchy following the activities of the hoodlums.
He said that the House should interface with the Inspector-General of Police to know the strategy he had designed to fight crimes in the country.
Rep. Nosakhare Osahon (ACN-Edo) said the Police should live up to its responsibility of combating crime and suggested a meeting of the House with all security agencies to discuss the way forward.
Rep. Dawari George (PDP-Rivers) said that state governors were not doing enough to compliment the efforts of the Federal Government in fighting crime in the country.
He urged state governments to ensure that they commit more resources into building the capacity of police by way of training, instead of paying lip service.
Meanwhile, four new bills were introduced on the floor of the House, they include the NCC Appropriation Bill, Collective Labour Relations Bill, Labour Standard Bill and Prohibition of Expenditure in default of or contrary to Appropriation Bill.
Suspected Robbers’ Arms Supplier Arrested
The Benue State Police Command has arrested Tyozumgwe Tarvihi who allegedly specializes in the manufacture of locally made weapons for armed robbers.
Similarly , four suspected armed robbers disguised in army uniforms are also cooling their feet at the police headquarters.
They were arrested during an operation along Gboko/Katsina-Ala federal highway.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer ASP Ejike Alaribe, who disclosed this to newsmen, said the armed robbers mounted a road block on the highway with the intent to rob motorists.
He said the police, however, got a tip off and men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Katsina-Ala stormed the scene, exchanged gun fire with the gang which led to the arrest of all members of the gang.
One of them sustained a gun injury on his leg.
He disclosed that two members of the gang, Msughter Orban and Aondofa Ugah who had been on the wanted list of the police were also apprehended in the course of the operation.
Alaribe said items recovered from the robbery gang include three locally made pistols, three dane guns, one single barrel gun, one army camouflage uniform, five cartridges, working tools including fire arms at different stages of completion.
Ejike also told newsmen about the renewed clampdown on commercial motorcycle operators known as
Okada riders, in the state, stressing that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Christopher Katso has directed that anyone caught riding a motorbike beyond 8p.m. in any part of the state should be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
He maintained that the new directive was aimed at rekindling the onslaught against all forms of criminality and cult activities which have taken a terrible dimension of late, particularly in Makurdi , the state capital.
Police disrupt CD demonstration in Anambra
The Anambra Police Command has disrupted the Campaign for Democracy (CD) demonstration demanding for the conduct local government election in the state.
Three vehicles loaded with armed and plain clothes policemen disrupted the peaceful demonstration that had already passed through two major roads in Onitsha.
Acting Police Area Commander in Onitsha, Roland Omatoje told newsmen that the police stopped the protest in order to stop hoodlums from hijacking it.
We stopped them in order to preserve the peace here as well as forestall hoodlums and other known enemies of public peace hijacking the situation to cause mayhem in this city, Omatoje said.
The Vice-Chairman CD South-East Region, Uzor Uzor, criticised the action of the police, saying: ``it is undemocratic, unprofessional and do not follow the norms of UN convention.’’
Uzor said that such action would escalate violence since the people were not given the freewill to express themselves in a democratic manner.
A statement signed by Uzor, the CD called for the immediate conduct of local government election in Anambra.
``The CD calls on Mr Peter Obi, the governor of Anambra to immediately start the process of conducting the election in the state.
``Our statistics shows that in January 2012 alone, over N3.7 billion was allocated by the Federal Government as its monthly allocation in all the 21 Local Government Areas but nothing to show for the huge amount being collected,’’ he said.
Uzor called for sovereign national conference on the provision of security and compensation of defenceless southerners in the north, among other issues.
He also called for the immediate overhauling of the police in the state, especially the ranks and files, who had stayed over seven years in a particular division.
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