Senate raises the alarm over frightening killings in Rivers

The Senate yesterday raised serious concern over killing of innocent citizens as a result of murder, kidnapping, violence and abduction with no meaningful strategy being deployed to checkmate the menace.

In a motion sponsored by Andrew Uchendu, representing Rivers East, he said the killings, which had been on for more than 10 years now, assumed a very dangerous dimension before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

He also expressed worry that the killings had assumed more horrendous dimension by the decapitation and dismembering of body parts as well as beheading of victims.

The upper legislative chamber, while adopting the motion, urged the Federal and the Rivers State governments to develop workable strategies that would stop the rising cases of killing in the state.

Senate President Bukola Saraki said all hands must be on deck to tackle criminality frontally.

He recalled that when the Inspector-General of Police appeared before the Senate, he assured that insecurity in Rivers and other places would not be treated with kid gloves.

Uchendu, who addressed journalists after the session, said he was not playing politics with the issue.

He said in 2004, he had sponsored a bill on youths development programme but did not see the light of day due to certain issues.

He stated that the youths have idle time and enormous energy, which if not properly channelled, somebody else may divert them.

He said since 2003 when he was elected into the House of Representatives, there had been drumbeats of war in Rivers and Bayelsa states before it gradually spread to other states.

He said as a senator, he could not travel to his village to pass the night.