A Nigerian senator, Victor Umeh, has accused Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, of abandoning citizens in his state amidst insecurity.

Mr Umeh (Anambra, APGA), while contributing to a motion on killings in Rivers State, said the governor has fled the North West state to live in Abuja due to insecurity.

He was contributing to a motion moved by Andrew Uchendu (Rivers, PDP) on recent killings in Rivers State.

Mr Uchendu said killings in the state had taken a new dimension as killers no longer only take lives but dismember and burn their victims.

He gave the recent experience of May 19 in Isiodu Community in Emohua Local Government where gunmen invaded the community, killed three men and burnt their bodies.

He bemoaned that ‘no meaningful strategy has been put in place to check’ the killings while noting that killings has become a way of life in Rivers.

Contributing, Mr Umeh said Nigerian governors are not helping the fight against insecurity by some of their actions.

“These killings are going on in states where the governors have not helped matters. Rivers State is a place of gory killings. The governor of the said state should rid Rivers State of this crime. The governors can do that if they take it serious.

“The governors should help solve this problem. It is not a question of only police. I think the governors should put money in security to provide security for people in their states. The governors should use their security votes, that is the essence of security votes.

“If you put money into investigation, within three days you will get results because the people living around the killers know them.”

He singled out Governor Yari of Zamfara for blame.

“Some governors have run away from their states,” he said. “They now live in Abuja. When you ask they say there are too many killings like Zamfara for example. He lives in Abuja, attending meetings in Abuja and everyday people are killed in the state.”

In adopting prayers in Mr Uchendu’s motion, the lawmakers urged the Rivers State Government to immediately liaise with the security agencies to stop the incessant killings and kidnapping of citizens in Rivers State.

They also urged the federal government and Rivers State government to develop workable strategies that would stop the rising cases of killings in the state.