Barring any last-minute changes, the Senate would on Monday commence a three-day national summit aimed at proffering solutions to the deteriorating security challenges bedevilling the country.

The summit, according to a statement by the Consultant Communications and Strategy Office of the President of the Senate, Sir Kenny Okolugbo, is aimed at aggregating the findings and recommendations from similar summits it has already held in the six geopolitical zones.

“The 10th Senate has concluded the zonal hearings in the six zones of the country,” Okolugbo said. “It is the final hearing, which will take place anytime soon, that will aggregate the findings and recommendations from the zones.”

He added that traditional rulers were not left out of the hearings because “insecurity can only be stemmed by attacking its causes at the grassroots level.”

According to him, the wake-up call by the tweet from President Donald Trump was not the only alarm sounded on the killings in Nigeria.

He said, “The reality is that this grave situation had been presented on the floor of the 10th Senate by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as far back as May 2025.

“The issue with us as a nation is that we do not pay attention to internal solutions; we get more excited about international interventions.

“We have killings of Christians and Muslims alike, but the pain is felt even more because the Senate President today is the highest-ranked Christian in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being the number three citizen.

“Senator Ted Cruz, a serving Senator of the United States of America representing the State of Texas, who has pushed for the attention of the present Nigerian government to these killings, I beg to disagree that he took the initiative from the 10th Senate, which had already taken the decision as far back as May to put an end to the insecurity bedevilling the nation through the security summit.

“Senator Godswill Akpabio said after that motion that ‘the soldier that dies is someone’s brother, son, husband, and in the case of a female soldier, daughter, wife, and sister. Their death is just as painful as the deaths of the citizens killed.’

“The entire country is affected when these attacks occur. In his words, we must all be involved in the issue of security, and the findings of the summit will be given legal backing and implemented immediately.

“He asked the present government to key into it, which is why you see that the Senate called for the recruitment of 100,000 more security personnel.

“This is not the time for blame games but a time for sober reflection on our situation as a nation.

Open letter to the senate

“This is why the Senate has recommended the death sentence to be passed on kidnappers, to serve as a deterrent to others.

“Senator Godswill Akpabio reminded the Senate that as a Governor, he was the first to pass the death sentence on kidnapping.”

He said that the idea for a national security summit was first mooted by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC – Ondo South).

He said, “It was one evening in May 2025 at the dinner table with my boss, the President of the Senate, His Excellency Chief Godswill Akpabio GCON.

“While we were eating, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim joined us, and even when he was offered to join in the meal, he said, ‘Before anything, SP,’ as he calls him, ‘there is a need for a security summit, and I want to move a motion on the floor of the Senate. I have the details already. We must do something about the security situation of the country.’

“The SP responded, ‘Ah, how did you know? It has been such a bother for me this week, and this is a welcome development, something different from inviting the service chiefs and receiving their briefings whenever there is a situation, and still things remain the same without improvement.’

“This discussion that happened over dinner culminated in the motion being moved by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim on the floor of the Senate Chambers, which was seconded and passed by the entire Senate.

“The SP immediately constituted the committee from the six zones to meet and find out what truly are the major challenges and root causes of this security unrest are that have affected the economy and well-being of us as a nation.

“Banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, different groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakaruwa, Fulani kidnappers, and others have affected our Gross Domestic Product as a nation.

“Our export capacity has been greatly reduced, as Benue and Plateau, the country’s food basket, now produce far below expectations because of farmers-herders clashes.

“Mining, another alternative to agriculture in our revenue generation, is also greatly affected, as most mining sites have been closed down, with some directly causing insecurity, just like we see in Zamfara and Katsina.

“Lately, Kwara has joined Niger in the list of Middle Belt states that have seen an increase in bandit attacks.” (The Nation)