Senate Calls for Massive Recruitment into Armed Forces, Probes Safe-School Initiative After Kebbi Abductions

By Iyojo Ameh

The Senate has urged the government to recruit at least one hundred thousand new personnel into the Nigerian Armed Forces to help combat insecurity, especially in the northern part of the country, while also setting up a committee to investigate the Safe-School Initiative.

During the debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi on Tuesday, lawmakers lamented the abduction of twenty-five pupils from Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.

The Senate condemned the dastardly act and called on relevant agencies to apprehend the criminals and rescue the abducted children.

The lawmakers also observed a minute of silence in honour of the late Brigadier General Uba and the soldiers killed by terrorists over the weekend. They commiserated with the government and people of Kebbi State on the death of the school’s vice principal and prayed for the quick recovery of the principal who was injured in the attack.

In an additional prayer to the motion, Senator Adams Oshiomhole stressed the need for the recruitment of more personnel into the Nigerian Armed Forces, with the aim of raising the number to two hundred and seventy-seven thousand, noting that the forces currently have one hundred and seventy-seven thousand members.