Nasarawa lawmakers seek stronger security amid kidnapping resurgence

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has urged Governor Abdullahi Sule to direct security agencies to intensify operations against kidnappers following fresh abductions in Lafia and its environs.

The lawmakers raised the concern on Tuesday during plenary in Lafia, after the member representing Lafia Central, Solomon Yakubu Akwashiki, reported that two people abducted in Agyaragu were still being held by their captors, who were demanding ransom.

Akwashiki said the incident occurred on Monday, adding that other residents had been kidnapped in Agunji, also in Lafia, in recent days.

“The security agencies and the state government should rise up to curtail the rate of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in my constituency,” he told the House.

He lamented that the frequent abductions had left residents living in fear and called for urgent action to protect lives and property.

Responding, the Speaker, Danladi Jatau, said the House would take the matter seriously and called on Governor Sule to direct the Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to intensify security operations across the state.

Jatau also called for collaboration between traditional rulers and local vigilante groups to identify suspicious persons in their communities.

“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 the governor for necessary action.

Other 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 for stronger security measures.

They urged the state and Federal Government to deploy more sophisticated weapons and technology to combat kidnapping and other forms of insecurity.

The lawmakers also expressed concern over the impact of the attacks on residents’ safety and economic activities, calling for coordinated action to restore security across Nasarawa State.