The Senate held a closed door session with the nation’s Service Chiefs, Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector General of Police and other heads of intelligence agencies in the country on Thursday.
The security chiefs arrived at the Senate plenary at about 11:16 am to brief the lawmakers on the security situation across the country.
Prior to Thursday’s meeting, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, had summoned the service chiefs over the worsening insecurity in the country and the regional implications of the recent development in Chad.
The meeting had in attendance General Lucky Eluoye Onyenucheya Irabor (Chief of Defence Staff), Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru ( Chief of Army Staff); Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Agambi (Chief of Naval Staff); and Vice Marshal Isiaka O. Alao (Chief of Air Staff)
Also in attendance is the Acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno, Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (Rtd), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
Lawan, in his opening remarks before the closed-door meeting, assured that the security challenges plaguing the country will be taken seriously by the parliament.
He said, “You recall our resolution to invite them for a briefing on the security situation in our dear country, on behalf of all of us Senators, I want to welcome this team and let me quickly assure you that indeed this Senate or the entire National Assembly is and will remain a partner in progress with you.
“On behalf of my colleagues, I want to commend our armed forces and other security agencies for fighting the myriad of security challenges across the country. In the process, some have given up their lives.
“We appreciate what you are doing because we know that you are. doing your best with what you have at hand.
“I want to assure you and everyone that the challenges we face are taken seriously and extremely by the Parliament.
“Hardly a day passes without this Senate discussing one security incident or the other. And it has been so for many years, not only this session.
“Once again, I welcome you and trust us with what you think will help us as a parliament to help the cause of Armed forces and other security agencies to perform better because you haven’t achieved the optimum and I can attribute that to inadequate resources.
“We pray that at the end of this interaction, we will see better ways and means of providing the necessary precision of resources to enable our armed forces to continue with national case to provide national security that we need to protect the lives and property of citizens to stabilize our environment for the economy to receive better investments for this country; to be a hub for investments that will provide employment opportunities to our teeming youths.”
