Members of the upper House of the National Assembly, NASS, have earlier on Tuesday, during a session, once more cried out against mass killings by bandits in the North Central and other parts of Nigeria.

The cry followed massive killings by bandits who attacked a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja on Monday night in which an undisclosed number of passengers were killed and many more injured.

A flood of reactions by members of the Upper House followed after Senator Uba Sani cited Order 41 and 51 to seek the leave of the Senate to move a motion on bandits attack on the Kaduna-bound train and other areas in the region.

Responding to the call for the motion, Senator Gabriel Suswam from Benue State started as follows:

“I want to join my other colleagues in saying that this is indeed a very sad commentary on the security situation of our country. Discussion on the security of our country has taken a large chunk of our discussion here.

“It is time enough for the appropriate authority to have taken decisive actions to address the security in our country. This is high time that we as a Senate meet with the leadership of this country to sit down and talk.”

For Senator Danjuma Laah from Plateau State, “In the whole country, the issue of Kaduna State is the worst…There must be an urgent action immediately to solve all the problems. If the Governor is short of manpower, let him cry out.”

Lending voice to his colleagues, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahisaid, “As a Senate, we have done a very robust engagement with report on the need to look at the security architecture and many other recommendations that we have given.

“One fact we must deduce at this moment is that all the report is showing clearly that we sit down while the terrorist bring attacks on our innocent citizens. It is safe to conclude that terrorists have declared war against Nigerians and it is time for Nigeria to declare war against the terrorists. I think it is time for these terrorists to be seriously taken as a national security threat and we should declare a war against them forthwith.”

The Senate thereafter resolved to:

1. Observe a minute silence for the repose of the soul of our loved ones and pray for the safe release of the abducted members of the affected communities;

2.Urge the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force to carry out sustained bombardment of the terrorist enclaves with a bid to flush them out and ensuring peace and stability to our communities;

3. Direct FMHDSD, NEMA and other relevant government agencies to assist the affected communities with relief materials;

4. Urge our people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security operatives;

5. Console with families of the victims of the attack and the people of Kaduna State;

6. Urge President Buhari to declare full scale war against these terrorists so as to secure our territory from the terrorists.

This is the umpteenth time the Senate is crying out to the government to be more proactive in cutting the excesses of bandits who seem to be having a field day in Kaduna and other parts of the country. Whether their cries will be heeded or like in the past remain an exercise in futility, only the future can tell.