By Jeremy Fregene
The House of Representatives has disclosed that terrorists have issued threats to bomb the National Assembly complex in Abuja, prompting urgent moves by lawmakers to strengthen the legislature’s internal security framework.
Garba Muhammad, chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security of the National Assembly, made the revelation on Tuesday during a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish a Legislative Security Directorate for the parliament. The proposed law will define the qualifications and conditions of service for the Sergeant-at-Arms and other security personnel attached to the legislature.
“The National Assembly is going through a lot of security challenges,” Muhammad said. “We have experienced car and motorcycle thefts, vandalism, fake identity cards, and unauthorised access by visitors. We have also received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly complex and from protesters to lock up the Assembly.”
He warned that inadequate security could disrupt legislative activities and undermine democracy. “If proper measures are not taken, there will be no representation, no oversight, no annual budget, and no plenary,” he said. “This could destabilise the system and the nation at large.”
Muhammad stressed that the new bill would help address these challenges by introducing a structured and professional security system similar to practices adopted by other parliaments globally.
Declaring the hearing open, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Chief Whip Bello Kumo, said securing the National Assembly was essential for the smooth functioning of democracy.
“This bill is a roadmap toward improving Nigeria’s democracy through guaranteed protection of lawmakers and other personnel,” he said.
A Deputy Director at the Policy and Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Omolara Akinyeye, also backed the bill, describing it as a long-overdue step to confront the National Assembly’s persistent security lapses.