Bello El-Rufai, the Member of the House of Representatives for Kaduna North federal constituency, has criticised what he described as inconsistent sentencing of convicted terrorists in Nigeria, calling for a more transparent and uniform justice system.
Speaking during plenary, the lawmaker questioned why individuals counvicted of similar terrorism offences were receiving markedly different sentences. “I don’t understand why one terrorist is getting 20 years and another is getting a life sentence,” he said. “There’s this idea that justice is served differently, and it affects the problem.”
El-Rufai commended President Bola Tinubu for unveiling a comprehensive national security overhaul but urged the National Assembly to ensure strict implementation with clear timelines and measurable targets. “Our problem is not in making plans, it’s in executing them. This parliament must insist upon those timelines,” he stated.
The lawmaker stressed the need to improve the welfare and salaries of security personnel, noting that Nigeria is severely understaffed when compared with global standards. “One police officer manages 600 Nigerians. The UN recommends 1 to 400. We must increase immediately the basic salaries and welfare of police officers and soldiers,” he said.
He also renewed calls for state and community policing, insisting that security operations cannot be effectively coordinated from Abuja. “We cannot be sitting in Abuja and expecting operations to be efficient in Benue. We must go back to communal policing and get traditional leaders involved,” he argued.
Bello El-Rufai expressed concern over the rising population of uneducated and unemployed youths in Northern Nigeria, describing the region as a “breeding ground” for criminality. He cited the growing trend of bandits flaunting money on TikTok as a dangerous influence on young people.
“The North has an issue. Young people have no employment or skill because we have neglected them. People go on TikTok and see criminals holding minted cash it becomes exciting,” he warned.
He concluded by emphasising that no form of investment foreign or domestic can thrive without adequate security. “We are failing in our primary duty, which is to protect the people we serve,” he said, adding that recruitment into the armed forces should be digitised and based on actual personnel needs rather than state allocations.
