The Senate on Wednesday urged President Bola Tinubu to establish a military barracks in Katsina State’s volatile Funtua zone after bandits killed at least 35 people in attacks across three local government areas within 24 hours.
The upper chamber debated a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Senator Dandutse Mohammed (Katsina South), who highlighted a recent ambush on police in Guga, Bako local government area, that left three officers dead and two critically injured.
Dandutse detailed the toll: 24 killed in Faskari, eight in Bakori, two in Funtua and one in Kankara.
The lawmaker warned that insecurity had left more than 50,000 hectares of farmland uncultivated, threatening food security in the agrarian region.
“The continuous bandit attacks… will significantly affect food production,” Dandutse said, recalling Tinubu’s pledge during a meeting with Katsina’s Governor and local elders to site a barracks in the zone.
He called for rapid federal intervention to eliminate the criminals.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, while seconding the motion, noted that President Tinubu had already ordered intensified military operations in Funtua.
“The military is doing well… but we need to add more force, deploy more technology, and deal with this situation decisively,” he said.
Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North) described the zone as an “agricultural heartland” disrupted by violence, while Senator Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa West) decried any negotiation with bandits as “counterproductive and dangerous”, urging better intelligence and community support.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio admitted the motion after strong backing.
The Senate thereafter resolved to press President Tinubu to honour his barracks pledge, direct the police chief to supply armoured vehicles to a new squadron in the area, and call for humanitarian aid.
The lawmakers also held a minute’s silence for the victims.
