Dare Babalola
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, disclosed on Tuesday that terrorists have threatened to bomb the National Assembly complex, highlighting the need for urgent security reinforcement at the legislative institution.
The proposed legislation is titled “A bill for an act to provide for the establishment and the functions of legislative security directorate in the national assembly; to provide for the qualification and condition of service of the sergeant-at-arms and other personnel of the directorate and for related matters, 2024 (hb 1632)”.
Muhammad stated that intelligence reports and recent security incidents showed the National Assembly had become a growing target for terrorist and criminal attacks.
According to the lawmaker, the complex’s daily influx of visitors, lobbyists, and demonstrators had made it an easy target for attacks.
He said, “The National Assembly is going through a lot of security challenges; we have experienced car thefts, motorcycle thefts, vandalism, fake Identity cards, unwanted visitors accessing the National Assembly without documentation, as well as petty trading, which makes the National Assembly look like a small market.
“We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly Complex and threats from protesters to lock up the National Assembly. Legislators are exposed to threats from constituents and others who have gained easy access to their offices without any formal appointment
He warned that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures were not taken, it would truncate the legislative activities in the National Assembly.
“It is obvious that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures are not taken, will truncate the Legislative activities in the National Assembly and if activities are thwarted, there will be no Representation, no oversight, no Annual budget, there will be no plenary at all, and that will destabilise legislative procedure, democracy and the stability of the system, and our Nation at large.
“Effective security management needs a total approach that requires various elements to be integrated to secure our environment for legislative procedure to function effectively and maximally.
“That is why this Bill is very important, because it seeks to address all the challenges as aforesaid and adopt world best practices of Parliamentary security procedures and architecture.”
He also urged state Houses of Assembly to emulate the National Assembly by adopting similar security frameworks to safeguard their legislative environments.
The proposed Legislative Security Directorate Bill (HB 1632) seeks to provide a legal framework for the establishment of a specialised internal security agency within the National Assembly.
