The leadership of the Nigerian Senate announced on Sunday the donation of N109 million, the December salary of members, to the victims of the accidental bombing in Tudun Biri village, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, made the announcement on Sunday when he led a delegation of the Senate on a sympathy visit to the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna.
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Speaking on behalf of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Deputy Senate President told the Kaduna governor that they were in the state to commiserate with him over the unfortunate incident that occurred last Sunday, November 3.
He said the Senate was greatly disturbed by the incident, and the 109 senators had, therefore, decided to donate their December salaries, amounting to N109 million, to the victims of the incident.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, the Deputy Senate President said the money would be sent to the state governor for onward delivery to the victims.
He said, “We are here to represent the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and indeed, other senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in order to sympathise with you for the lost lives and those who sustained injuries in respect of the unfortunate incident that happened at Tundun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna a few days ago.
“We are all worried. We are all disturbed, but the only thing we can say now is for the Almighty Allah to grant those who lost their lives rest and those who sustained injuries a quick recovery..
“We are here to show our solidarity and to show the fact that we stand by the Government of Kaduna State and indeed the entire people of this state, particularly the people of Tudun Biri in this trying period that the state is experiencing.
“We will partner with you. We will do all within our power to bring succour to those that were affected by this unfortunate incident.
“It is on this note that we want to announce on behalf of the President of the Senate that the first measure that we decide to take, apart from the investigation, is to kind of bring something that will alleviate the hardship being faced by the people of the area(Tudun Biri).
“It might not do much but it’s a kind of show of our concern in our zeal to bring succour to those that were affected by the unfortunate incident that happened at Tundun Biri.
“It is on this note that we have decided that we are going to donate our salaries for a full month to be given to those who were affected by this incident. So, a total of N109m will be made available to the governor to be channeled to help bring succour to those that were affected by the unfortunate incident at Tudun Biri.”
In his response, he urged the senators to collaborate with him in advocating for justice, stressing the necessity for a thorough investigation and punishment for those responsible for the bombings.
He appealed to the senators to support the call for the creation of state police, saying it would equip security agencies with precise intelligence to avert similar incidents in the future.