Senate promises to encourage Buhari to sack Service Chiefs

The Senate has stated that they will convince president Muhammadu Buhari to sack the military chiefs due to the rising spate of insecurity in Nigeria.
The lawmakers had in July asked the Service Chiefs comprising the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Naval Staff to step aside following the killings of soldiers fighting banditry and insurgency in the northern part of the country.

The decision to relieve the service chiefs of their duties came after the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume moved a motion during plenary on Friday, August 14, 2020.
The motion titled ‘Matter of urgent national importance’ was premised on the rising number of casualties among the armed forces and other security agencies.

“Just recently, 24 soldiers were ambushed and killed along the Gamboa-Maiduguri Road in Borno State. At least 19 were wounded, while nine were declared missing in action.

“It is also disturbing that in Katsina recently, about 20 soldiers were ambushed and killed, while several others were wounded. The number of civilian casualties is not known.

“If the trend continues, it will have serious implications on the fight against insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality in the country.

“Recently, it was alleged that over 236 soldiers voluntarily resigned from the Nigerian Army,” Ali Ndume said.

In addition to Ndume’s point of order, the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, demanded that the service chiefs step aside, ThePunch reports.

The Senate approved the prayer and passed a resolution on it, but the Presidency in its reaction said that the President was not legally bound to act on the resolution of the legislature.