Tinubu’s Service Chiefs, NSA Arrive National Assembly To Brief Senators On Insecurity

Responding to a Senate resolution regarding the escalating insecurity in the country, the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, arrived at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

They entered the hallowed Chambers at 12:39 to engage with the Committee of the whole of Senators.

The invitation of the Service Chiefs was prompted by the alarming levels of insecurity, with even the Federal Capital, Abuja, being under siege.

The Senate has taken the exceptional step of suspending its rules to allow the admission of the Service Chiefs, Ribadu and the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on National Assembly Matters, Abdullahi Gumel, into the upper chamber.

Their briefing will also encompass the concerning infiltration of bandits and kidnappers into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), aiming to devise effective solutions to address the situation.

In a latest development, the Senate has postponed the interrogation of service chiefs regarding insecurity to February 13, 2024, to accommodate all stakeholders involved in managing security in the country.

Although the security chiefs were present in the Senate chamber for today’s briefing on the escalating insecurity, the decision to broaden the discussion prompted the Senate to reschedule it.

The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, proposed the motion to adjourn the security briefing and seconded by the Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio approved the adjournment, emphasizing the Senate’s desire for a comprehensive discussion on insecurity.

Following the decision, the clerk of the Senate was directed to expand the list of invitees to include All Service Chiefs, the National Security Adviser, the Finance Minister, the Interior Minister, the Defence Minister, the Minister of State for Defence, and the Minister of Police Affairs.

The Senate, in a unanimous decision made during an emergency session on the first legislative day of the year on January 30, summoned the service chiefs to address the escalating insecurity in the country.

Among the service chiefs present for today’s briefing were General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS); Lieutenant-General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS); and Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS).