The House of Representatives has issued a strong call to President Bola Tinubu to launch an aggressive, coordinated security offensive to dislodge bandits and kidnappers from their hideouts and restore public safety across Nigeria.

The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Ibe Osonwa, representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia State. The motion, titled “A call for immediate executive action on the surge in banditry, the daily abduction of schoolchildren, and the perilous security situation in Nigerian schools and places of worship,” drew attention to the worsening wave of violent crime nationwide.

Osonwa reminded the executive of its constitutional duty to protect citizens, citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. He warned that persistent attacks on schools and religious centres were eroding public confidence in the state’s capacity to safeguard lives.

The lawmaker highlighted the growing pattern of mass abductions of schoolchildren, noting that repeated raids have disrupted learning and deepened the country’s out-of-school crisis. Thousands of pupils, he said, have been forced out of classrooms by fear, while families continue to endure the trauma of kidnappings and prolonged captivity.

Osonwa also condemned the systematic targeting of churches, mosques and other places of worship, describing them as soft targets now routinely exploited by criminal gangs. Worshippers, he argued, face the risk of abduction or death while exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Beyond the human toll, the House heard that insecurity is crippling local economies. Farming communities have been abandoned, businesses shuttered and households pushed deeper into poverty as relatives struggle to raise ransoms.

Lawmakers questioned the effectiveness of the security architecture despite substantial budgetary allocations to defence and internal security. They criticised what they described as a largely reactive posture that has allowed criminal networks to entrench themselves in rural and peri-urban enclaves.

In its resolution, the House condemned ongoing banditry, mass abductions and attacks on schools and churches “in the strongest possible terms” and resolved to send an urgent appeal to President Tinubu, reminding him of his oath of office.

The House demanded the immediate rollout of an “aggressive, unrelenting and comprehensive security strategy” to dismantle bandit strongholds, secure vulnerable institutions and secure the release of abducted citizens. It further warned that if the security situation does not improve within a clearly defined timeframe, the service chiefs should be prepared to resign for failing to meet constitutional expectations.

Relevant committees on Defence, National Security and Intelligence, and Army were directed to intensify oversight of security operations and report back for further legislative action.