The Senate has called on the Federal Government and security agencies to act swiftly to secure the release of students, pupils and teachers kidnapped from schools in Oyo State, while rejecting a proposal for a full audit of defence spending.
Lawmakers adopted a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari after 46 people, including schoolchildren and teachers, were abducted in the latest attack on schools in the state.
Senators urged the Federal Government to strengthen and expand the Safe Schools Initiative through better surveillance, intelligence gathering and increased security presence around vulnerable schools and communities.
The upper chamber also asked state governments to bolster local security arrangements and support federal efforts to curb kidnapping and banditry.
During debate, several senators pressed the President to question service chiefs over the effectiveness of current security operations.
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There were repeated calls for greater accountability from security agencies amid persistent insurgency and abductions nationwide.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole pushed for a comprehensive audit of military spending, arguing that the National Assembly must review whether funds allocated to defence were delivering results.
"It doesn’t appear to me that we have carried out an audit of resolutions passed in the past. What actions have been taken?
"If the armed forces are not accountable and if we don’t carry out oversight of military resources, then we are failing in our responsibility," he said.
Oshiomhole cited a similar abduction in Kebbi State earlier this year, where the state government claimed military personnel had been withdrawn shortly before attackers struck.
He stated the Senate had ordered the military to name the officer who gave the withdrawal order, but said no response had been received.
"We passed a resolution asking the military to produce the name of the officer who gave the order. To date, no action has been taken," he added.
His proposal for a security and spending audit failed after no senator seconded it.
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