Stakeholders Push For Stronger Security Framework In National Assembly

Several state assemblies have backed a plan to create a Legislative Security Directorate for the National Assembly, though the police and other security agencies have expressed reservations about aspects of the proposal.

The measure, currently before the House of Representatives committee on Internal Security, was discussed at a public hearing organised by the Committee on Internal Security in Abuja.

“the bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment and Functions of the Legislative Security Directorate in the National Assembly; to Provide for the Qualification and Conditions of Service of the Sergeant-At-Arms and Other Personnel of the Directorate and for Related Matters, 2024 (HB 1632).

The committee’s chairman, Garba Muhammad, said the measure was designed to strengthen the safety of the parliament and bring security operations in line with international standards.

He said the National Assembly had faced repeated security breaches, including theft, vandalism, and the use of fake identity cards.

However, the Nigeria Police Force, represented by Assistant Inspector General Emmanuel Aina, warned that the creation of a new security directorate could lead to overlapping functions and weaken coordination among existing agencies.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps also backed the idea but argued that, in other democracies such as the United States and Canada, parliamentary security is typically handled within the police structure, with the Sergeant-at-Arms coordinating operations.

Delegations from the Nasarawa, Kano, and Plateau State Houses of Assembly all expressed support for the proposal, calling it a timely reform that would professionalise legislative security services.

The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, represented by its President, Comrade Mohammed, also gave its full backing.

Responding to questions about whether the new directorate’s staff would be permitted to carry firearms, the National Assembly’s Sergeant-at-Arms said only trained and legally authorised officers would do so.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji