ABUJA — Northern senators have thrown their weight behind the Federal Government’s plan to expand the Nigerian Army, describing the move as a crucial step toward tackling the nation’s worsening security challenges, even as they condemned the latest deadly attacks in Benue and Kaduna states.
The lawmakers, under the umbrella of the Northern Senators Forum, expressed deep concern over the wave of violence that recently claimed scores of lives and displaced many residents, insisting that those behind the attacks must be tracked down and prosecuted without delay.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the Forum’s Chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the senators extended condolences to the governments and people of Benue and Kaduna, particularly families mourning loved ones lost in the attacks.
Their reaction followed separate assaults in both states that left communities devastated.
In Benue State, armed assailants reportedly stormed Efeyi Community in Ugboju, Otukpo Local Government Area, killing 13 residents and leaving several others with injuries before security operatives moved into the area to restore calm.
A few days earlier, suspected attackers invaded Naridon Village in Kaduna State’s Kauru Local Government Area, where about 30 people, including women and children, were killed, while numerous houses were set ablaze.
Against the backdrop of the renewed violence, the senators applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions, as well as the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel.
According to the Forum, the initiative is expected to improve troop deployment, strengthen border security, decentralise military operations and enhance the armed forces’ capacity to respond swiftly to emerging threats across the country.
The lawmakers described the decision as a significant boost to Nigeria’s security architecture, noting that it could restore public confidence and improve protection for vulnerable communities.
However, they cautioned that expanding the military alone would not deliver the desired results unless the new formations are properly equipped, adequately funded and supported with improved welfare packages for officers and soldiers.
The Forum also urged Nigerians to work closely with security agencies by volunteering credible intelligence capable of preventing future attacks and exposing criminal elements operating within communities.
It further appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killings while ensuring that victims, survivors and internally displaced persons receive prompt humanitarian assistance.
The senators maintained that defeating insecurity requires sustained investment in security infrastructure, stronger intelligence gathering and seamless collaboration among the military, other security agencies and local communities.
The latest attacks have once again renewed concerns over persistent violence across parts of northern and central Nigeria, despite ongoing military operations aimed at curbing armed banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes.
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