Senate Committee Orders Army Chief To Relocate To Borno

The Senate Committee on Defence and Army, which also expressed disgust over the attack, passed a resolution directing the COAS to relocate his office temporarily to the 7th Division of Nigerian Army in Maiduguri for urgent and appropriate steps to quell Boko Haram’s repeated attacks on the North-East.

The committee also directed the Army boss to adopt new methods for curbing the sect’s excesses in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states.

It passed the resolution when Minimah led top officers of the Army to the Senate to defend the budget of the service.

The Yobe massacre was raised by a member of the committee, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, through a point of order predicated on Orders 42 and 102 of the Senate Standing Rules.

The committee, in a two-page statement containing the resolution, explained that, it came up with the decison after a two-hour brainstorming session with the COAS on the way out of the Boko Haram menace.

The committee led by Senator George Sekibo also resolved that all schools and health institutions in the country should be provided with special security.

It gave express approval to the 2014 budget of the Army and told the COAS that what was of utmost priority to it now was stemming the killings in the North-East and not the budget details.

The committee also called on Jonathan to rise up to the challenge by mobilising resources for the Armed Forces to fight the insurgents decisively.