The speaker, house of representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday warned of the dire consequence of the deteriorating security in the country saying it is capable of stalling progress.

Gbajabiamila while his address during a discussion on insecurity at the plenary said overcoming the current security challenges in the country requires accepting new approaches and adopting novel ideas.

“God forbid that it is now our nation’s fate to live forever under the threat of abduction and murder. What gaps and weaknesses continue to exist in the national security infrastructure that makes us more susceptible to the machinations of those who seek to achieve wealth and power through brutal violence? How do we achieve for all our people, a just and honourable peace? These questions are never too far from my mind, and I know that it is the same for you too because often it is you who are at the front line responding to the concerns of constituents who have themselves been victimized and those who fear that the moment of their own affliction is only a matter of time and circumstance,” he said.

“Colleagues, this House will shortly take action to put these questions before those agencies of our national security to whom our constitution and other legislation have granted the powers and the resources to ensure the safety and security of all our people.

“Our cup of endurance has run over and we are no longer willing to labour under these dark clouds of random violence inflicted upon our people by faceless cowards whose ends we do not understand, and whose means we do not know. Overcoming our overwhelming national security challenges now requires of us all that we be willing to accept new approaches and consider novel ideas. Neither the security institutions nor political leaders can afford to hold on too tightly to a status quo whose frustrating limitations are painfully evident, whilst reflexively rejecting innovations that may improve our fortunes if properly implemented.”

He said the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) code-named ‘Operation Amotekun’ and similar regional security outfits that already quietly exist in other parts of the country, are a desperate response to the vile manifestations of insecurity plaguing Nigeria.

“Recently, the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ondo states, took action to implement a regional security network to support the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force in preventing crime and protecting the lives and property of those our citizens who live, work and travel through these states.

“The establishment of Amotekun, as the network is called, has met with commentary from across the country, both for and against. Too often, it has seemed to me that lost in these interactions is the hard, brutal and unavoidable fact that Amotekun and other such state or zonal interventions that already quietly exist in other parts of the country, are a desperate response to the vile manifestations of insecurity that trouble the lives of citizens, depriving them of the peace and security that gives life meaning.

“I do not know whether Amotekun or whatever iterations of it may follow represents the ultimate or perfect solution to the problem of insecurity in our country.

“The localised manifestations of insecurity across the different parts of our country, call for unique and localised approaches that take those peculiarities into account,” he said.

He however, advised that the arrangement should abide by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The speaker also bemoaned the gruesome murder of Pastor Lawan Andimi and a student of Plateau State by Boko Haram terrorists.

“All people of conscience mourn the loss of a reverend and a senior member of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in Adamawa State, Mr. Lawan Andimi, a good and honourable man, who through the church and in his personal capacity served the people of his community, earning their reverence and our collective gratitude. In the midst of our mourning, our hearts were broken once more by the release of a video depicting the gruesome assassination of Mr. Ropvil Daciya, a student from Plateau State who was abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on his way back to school at the University of Maiduguri,” he stated.