A rights group, Conference of Civil Society for Peace, Security and National Development has said the comments credited to upper chamber of the National Assembly to have made a resolution calling for the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs over insecurity in the country is tantamount to encouraging mutiny in the armed forces.
The conveners of the CSOs, Comrade Mike Msuaan and Mallam Adamu Kabir Matazu, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, explained that it was compelled to respond to what it described as frivolous resolution of the Senate maintaining that was ill motivated and not in the interest of the country.
Consequently, the group urged the National Assembly to work within the confines of separation of powers and desist from interfering in duties that are solely those of the executive adding that the prerogative to appoint and sack the service chiefs is the exclusive reserve of Mr President.
“We like to warn the National Assembly in the strongest terms ever to desist from killing the morale of the gallant soldiers with frivolous resolutions henceforth. These uncharitable resolutions rather abate insurgency and insecurity as a whole in the country.
“There has been tremendous successes recorded in the battle against insurgency especially since 2015 when the current security chiefs took over against the dreaded BokoHaram/ISWAP. To our dismay, there has never been a time the National Assembly invited the service chiefs to commend them or made any resolution conferring honours on them for their gallantry.
“It is our settled conviction that the Senate is encouraging mutiny in the armed forces with these resolutions. The soldiers may refuse to take instructions from service chiefs, who removal keeps dangling on their heads”, the group alleged.
While acknowledging that the National Assembly has rights to keep the service chiefs in check, it described as outright insult on the person and office of Mr President asking him to sack persons who were doing their best for the good of the nation.
“We also wish to advise the National Assembly to work within the laws establishing the institution and desist from interfering in duties that are solely those of the Executive. The prerogative to appoint and sack is the exclusive reserve of Mr president.
“The National Assembly must be vigilant and avoid playing into the hands of the opposition whose position on issues of insecurity is not premised on patriotism and who if given opportunity will encourage and sponsor same in a desire to distabilize the government of President Buhari.
“The National Assembly, should be more concerned with Rebuilding the confidence of Nigerians in the institution and their representation especially in the wake of startling revelations of her members involved in corruption in the NDDC, job racketeering and padding of annual budgets. This has cast a dark cloud on the war against corruption in the country and amongst committee of nations.
“Security is the business of all citizens and not just the service chiefs. Countries the world over call on citizens to volunteer credible intelligence to the security agencies as criminals do not exist in a vacuum. We expected the national assembly to encourage same. Security is about intelligence gathering.
“We address you today gentlemen of the Press to express confidence in the security chiefs and the war against insurgency and criminality in the country generally. We are confident that, with encouragement, the security agencies will overcome.
“We make bold to state that we will not hesitate to lead a Mass action and occupy the National Assembly if members do not stop abating insurgency with these kind of resolutions”, the CSOs maintained.
The CSOs further called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to bow to resolutions that will not any good in the efforts to fighting insurgency and other security challenges.
