The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has urged President Bola Tinubu to draw $5bn from the nation’s external reserves for an emergency security intervention to tackle the worsening killings, terrorism, banditry and mass abductions in Northern Nigeria.
The lawmakers, who described the scale of attacks across the region as intolerable, also called for sustained, intelligence-led military operations to reclaim territories controlled by terrorists and criminal gangs and rescue abducted citizens.
In a statement on Thursday signed by its leader, Fredrick Agbedi, and spokesman, Afam Ogene, the caucus urged Tinubu to deploy overwhelming force against terrorist and bandit hideouts while denying the criminals freedom of movement, supply lines and communications.
Beyond military operations, the lawmakers called for an extraordinary increase in funding for the national security campaign, proposing that the Federal Government consider drawing $5bn from the nation’s external reserves if necessary.
“If funding is an issue, the government should draw $5bn from the nation’s external reserves for an extraordinary national security intervention.
“The primary purpose of government is the welfare and security of the people, and no expenditure can be more fundamental than protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerian citizens,” they added.
The lawmakers then called for a sustained, intelligence-led military and security operation to reclaim territories occupied or controlled by terrorists and criminal gangs.
It cited recent attacks in Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina states, where dozens of residents were reportedly killed or abducted.
The lawmakers said more than 20 people were killed in recent attacks, including at least 23 victims in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
They also cited an attack on communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where armed men reportedly abducted more than 60 worshippers during Friday prayers.
In Sokoto State, the lawmakers said at least 40 people were killed in Ungushi community, Kebbe Local Government Area, including the Chief Imam, Imam Aliyu.
They further reported that at least 30 people were killed in an attack on Naridon village in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The caucus said recurring attacks and reprisal killings in Katsina State had also heightened fear among residents, while drawing attention to the continuing absence of schoolchildren abducted in Borno State months ago.
“This is no longer a situation that can be addressed principally through statements of condemnation after every attack,” the lawmakers said, calling for a sustained security response driven by actionable intelligence.
They urged President Tinubu to replicate on a larger scale the strategy deployed in the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
They noted that affected areas should be subjected to intensive security operations, with the armed forces and other security agencies directed to dominate the territory and sustain operations against terrorist and bandit hideouts, forests and criminal enclaves.
They stressed that the objective should be to restrict the operational space of criminal groups rather than impose restrictions on innocent citizens.
“We are calling on the President to lock down the affected theatres of operation, dominate the territory and sweep the forests, hideouts and criminal enclaves where terrorists and bandits operate.
“Such an operation must be intelligence-led, professionally executed and sustained until the criminal elements are neutralised and the abducted citizens rescued.
“We are not asking the President to lock down innocent Nigerians. We are asking the Commander-in-Chief to lock down the operational space of terrorists and bandits, deny them freedom of movement, cut off their supply lines and communications and deploy overwhelming force against those who have turned parts of the North into killing fields and centres of mass abduction,” the caucus said.
The lawmakers also called on Tinubu to visit Zamfara State and travel to Illela to engage directly with communities affected by insecurity.
It said the physical presence of the President in communities ravaged by attacks would send a strong signal of government’s determination to protect citizens and restore confidence among affected populations.
The demand comes amid persistent security challenges in parts of Northern Nigeria, where terrorists and bandit groups have continued to attack rural communities, abduct residents for ransom and disrupt farming and other economic activities.
The caucus said the government’s response must therefore go beyond reacting to individual attacks and focus on dismantling the networks, logistics and territories that enable criminal groups to operate.
The lawmakers also welcomed the recent increase in the salaries of members of the Armed Forces, describing the measure as an important step towards improving the welfare and morale of military personnel.
They, however, urged President Tinubu to forward the necessary amendment to the 2026 Appropriation Act and a Supplementary Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly without delay to provide the legal and financial framework for implementing the salary increase.
According to them, the National Assembly should be prepared to reconvene, if necessary, to ensure that the welfare measure is implemented without bureaucratic delays.
The caucus also turned its attention to the detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing the development as increasingly taking on “the character of a political persecution.”
It demanded his immediate release, saying the issue raised broader questions about the consistency and credibility of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign.
“Our concern is not merely about one individual. It is about the credibility and consistency of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption campaign,” the lawmakers said.
They further criticised the composition of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, particularly the prominent roles occupied by individuals who, according to the caucus, had themselves faced serious corruption allegations and public controversy.
The lawmakers argued that this had weakened the government’s claim to be pursuing an impartial anti-corruption campaign.
“It is difficult for the government to demand public confidence in its anti-corruption campaign when the political architecture through which the president seeks the mandate of Nigerians includes individuals whose records and allegations have raised serious questions about the integrity of that campaign,” they said.
The caucus, however, said the immediate priority remained the protection of lives and the restoration of security in communities under attack.
“The bloodshed in Northern Nigeria must stop. The abducted must be rescued. The terrorists and bandits must be defeated,” the lawmakers said.
