The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has raised the alarm over a resurgence of kidnappings across the state, calling on the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to protect residents.
The Speaker of the House, Danladi Jatau, raised the concern on Tuesday during plenary in Lafia, the state capital, while responding to a matter of public interest presented by the member representing Lafia Central, Solomon Yakubu Akwashiki.
Jatau lamented that Lafia and other parts of the state had recently witnessed frequent abductions, causing fear among residents and setbacks to economic activities.
Presenting the matter to the House, Akwashiki urged security agencies and the state government to intensify efforts to protect lives and property.
He said, “Mr Speaker and my Honourable Colleagues, I rise on a matter of frequent kidnapping in my constituency.
“Yesterday, in Agyaragu Lafia, two people were kidnapped a few days back in Agunji Lafia, people were kidnapped.
“As I am talking, the two people kidnapped yesterday are in the hands of the kidnappers, and they are demanding ransom.
“The security agencies and the state government should rise up to curtail the rate of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in my constituency.”
Akwashiki said residents of his constituency had been living in fear because of the increasing cases of kidnapping in Lafia and its environs.
“The people of my constituency can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed due to the frequent abductions. Something needs to be done to tackle this issue as soon as possible,” he emphasised.
In response, Jatau assured the lawmakers that the House would take the matter seriously to ensure that residents of Lafia and other local government areas could go about their daily activities without fear.
He said, “The resolution of the House is to the effect that we urge His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule, to direct all security agencies, the Commissioner of Police, Department of State Services, NSCDC, to beam their satellites across the state to curtail the rate of kidnapping.
“All hands must be on deck, especially Chiefs and Village heads in collaboration with Vigilantes to identify strange people in their communities”, he said.
The Speaker directed the Clerk of the House to communicate the resolution to Governor Sule for necessary action.
Contributing to the debate, lawmakers, including Esson Mairiga, Onarigu Onah Kana, Ibrahim Abdullahi Sa’ad, Suleiman Yakubu Azara, Abel Yakubu Bala and Larry Ven-Bawa, supported the motion and called on the state government to strengthen security across the state.
They lamented the negative impact of kidnappings on their constituents and urged the state and Federal Government to take more decisive action to address the problem.
The lawmakers also called on both levels of government to procure sophisticated weapons and deploy technology to tackle insecurity in the state.