ABUJA: The Senate promised yesterday that the ongoing incidents of armed banditry, insurgency, assassinations, kidnappings, and wanton property destruction will cease in 2026. They also promised to review the 2026 budget in order to provide financing for the armed forces.
Additionally, it requested that security services and President Bola Tinubu continue their coordinated efforts until all criminal elements had been eliminated.
Speaking yesterday in response to a point of order brought up by Senator Garba Maidoki of the APC, Kebbi South, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who provided the assurance, stated that he prayed to God on January 1st of this year that insurgency and banditry will cease this year.
“I want to thank you, Senator Maidoki, for your very strong stance and to say that we in the Senate are with you,” he stated. We both think the same thing. We believe that this banditry ought to stop. Actually, I prayed to God on January 1st, and I shared my message with the country, asking him to put an end to the insurgency and banditry this year.
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By God’s grace, we won’t meet our demise in 2026; instead, we’ll witness the end of both 2026 and banditry. I can appreciate your wrath because that is our prayer.
However, keep in mind that there are several factors at play. All they target are soft targets. There cannot be military barracks in every Nigerian hamlet. The nation is enormous. Thus, terrorists and bandits target vulnerable people. And they do enormous harm when they go. And it turns into a reaction by the time we get there.
Earlier in his speech, Senator Maidoki emphasized the necessity to put an end to banditry by pointing out that it has persisted unchecked under Order 42.
He remarked that in order to put an end to banditry this year, the Senate should adequately finance the army, take money from all sources, and provide adequate funding for the armed forces.
Maidoki stated: “Senate President, a committee of military chiefs was graciously established so that we can look at these security issues holistically. I have cried to you several times about insecurity in my area.”
We previously decided that the military should receive greater funding. This is the time for the budget. I told you that it wouldn’t help me if you gave me school today and I fled.
“Let’s allocate sufficient resources.” We don’t want this to happen in 2026, so let’s make sure the army has adequate funding by allocating funds from all available sources.
Additionally, the Senate urged President Tinubu to fulfill his promise to build a new military barracks in the area and instructed Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to outfit a new squadron, if one is formed, with a minimum of three armored personnel carriers, or APCs, in order to increase intelligence-driven operations, such as community-based intelligence systems, cross-state cooperation, and forest combing, throughout Katsina and other hotspots.
As of Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 35 people had been attacked and killed in the Funtua zone, 24 in the Faskari Local Government Area, 8 in the Mahuta Ward of the Dandume Local Government Area, 2 in the Maska Ward of the Funtua Local Government Area, and 1 in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, according to Senator Dandutse’s presentation.
Since over 50,000 farmlands are currently unusable, there is concern that the constant banditry attacks on villages would have a substantial impact on agricultural activities and food production, endangering the people’s livelihood and food security.
