The Nigerian Senate has urged security chiefs in country to use biometric systems in tackling the rising spat of insecurity in the country.
The sanate said the federal government should make citizenship registration compulsory to facilitate the process.
The upper legislative chamber stated these on Tuesday when it met service chiefs and heads of other security agencies on the rising insecurity in the country.
The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, started at 12.3pm and ended at 9.30pm.
The Senate also stressed the need for collaboration between the security agencies and the Ministry of Interior in tracking criminals electronically.
Addressing the press after the marathon meeting, the Spokesperson for the Senate, Yemi Adaramodu said:
“ We spoke the truth to ourselves because we were very concerned about the security.
“And if we are talking about growth and development, there is no way; we can push security out of it.’’
“They told us of so many other issues and we also relayed to them our experiences and those of our constituents of what they have been facing. Samples of what had happened, the horrendous situations that Nigerians had found themselves in, even in Abuja here.
“The service chiefs allayed our fears and even answered our questions satisfactorily. They communicated their plans to nip insecurity in the bud.”
“They told us even what they have been doing, even about the Bwari Kidnap saga and how they have been able to arrest the suspects who are currently under trial.
He said the Senate asked the interior minister to ensure the use of biometric systems in arresting kidnappers.
“When we asked the interior minister how his ministry can collaborate with security chiefs, he spoke about how standardization and certification of citizen’s identities can help to apprehend criminals through VIN (vehicle identification number), BVN (bank verification number), NIN ( national identity number) .”
“It means that with the touch of a finger, you can get the identity of a citizen; so no citizen will be able to bear two or more identities which has been making it difficult to apprehend a citizen when he or she commits a crime.
“Also, we got assurances on our border patrol that our borders are manned seriously and we need more men to man our borders.”
The President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio, who addressed journalists earlier, stated that the Senate believed in the security agencies and passed a vote of confidence on them.
He said, “After listening to the security chiefs, the Senate is convinced that serious measures are already being carried out against criminals in the country by the various security agencies.
“ Such actions are indeed, yielding results with the arrest of many of the criminal non-state actors within the last few days which would surely bring about, a secure and safe country for us all.
Nigeria’s security situation is deteriorating by the day despite efforts by security agencies to halt the tide. Kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminalities are daily accounting for the death of Nigerians and hunger as farmlands have now been deserted.
