The Nigerian Senate has called for a closed-door meeting with all heads of security agencies in the country, including the National Security Adviser, Service Chiefs, and the Inspector General of Police, to discuss the prevailing security challenges.
Other heads of security agencies expected at the meeting include the director general of the Department of State Security Services, and the head of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp, among other gun-wielding agencies.
The Senate expressed concerns over the continued activities of criminal and violent groups such as Boko Haram terrorists, bandits, armed robbers, and kidnappers. The upper chamber also emphasized the need for collaboration and synergy among all security agencies to effectively tackle the security challenges in the country.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stated that the meeting aims to interact with the agencies and discuss the issue of securing the nation holistically. He added that they will ask necessary questions to find out what is being done to secure lives and properties, especially as the country approaches the festive period.
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This followed a motion sponsored by Senator Yaradua Musa, representing Katsina Central, on “The Improvement of Coordination and Synergy between Nigerian Security Forces and Agencies to Help Strengthen and Win the Fight against Insecurity in the Nation” on the floor of the Senate. During the debate, Senator Musa cited recent cases, such as the kidnapping of Major General RC Duru (retired) in Owerri Imo State on 27th September 2023 by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, and the abduction of 50 people including a district head, women, and children, as recent cases portraying the nefarious activities of the criminals.
“Cognizant of the fact that the primary focus of security agencies should be directed at making Nigeria safe, the insecurity in Nigeria can only be tackled if all security agencies and Parastatals that play key roles in National security work in synergy under a centralized command structure to ensure that the country is secured. This cooperative effort reinforces the interdependence and interrelatedness of Nigerian security agencies”, he said.
The Senate consequently called on the various security agencies in Nigeria, both military and paramilitary to improve and enhance their inter-operational synergy and coordination for the effective and holistic tackling of the various types of insecurity plaguing the nation;
Develop a National Security Policy document outlining the framework for an improved and streamlined synergy and coordination between the various security agencies; and Embark on joint training to enhance their capabilities and effectiveness in dealing with all forms of security challenges bedeviling the nation.
