The House of Representatives Committee on Internal Security has disclosed that it received threats from terrorist groups to bomb the National Assembly complex.
Garba Muhammad, chairman of the committee, made the revelation on Tuesday during a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish a Legislative Security Directorate for the National Assembly.
Muhammad said the Parliament had faced rising security challenges in recent months, including theft, vandalism, and unauthorised entry by individuals posing as visitors or using fake identity cards.
He warned that the threats, if not addressed urgently, could disrupt legislative activities and undermine national stability.
“The National Assembly is going through a lot of security challenges; we have experienced car thefts, motorcycle thefts, vandalism, fake identity cards, and unwanted visitors accessing the National Assembly without documentation,” Muhammad said.
“We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly complex and threats from protesters to lock up the Assembly. Legislators are also exposed to threats from constituents and others who gain easy access into their offices without formal appointments”, he added.
He expressed concern that the ongoing security lapses could have far-reaching consequences for Nigeria’s democratic process if not urgently addressed.
“It is obvious that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures are not taken, they will truncate legislative activities in the National Assembly. And if activities are thwarted, there will be no representation, no oversight, no annual budget, no plenary at all. That will destabilise legislative procedure, democracy, and the stability of our nation,” he cautioned.
The proposed bill (HB 1632) seeks to establish the Legislative Security Directorate to professionalise and coordinate all security operations within the National Assembly complex. It will also set qualifications and conditions of service for the Sergeant-at-Arms and other personnel under the Directorate.
According to Muhammad, the Directorate would adopt global best practices in parliamentary security management to ensure a balance between accessibility and safety.
“Effective security management needs a total approach that requires various elements to be integrated together to secure our environment for legislative procedures to function effectively and maximally,” he explained.
“This bill is very important because it seeks to address all the challenges I mentioned and adopt world best practices of parliamentary security procedures and architecture”, he added.
While acknowledging the difficulty of maintaining public accessibility to the legislature without compromising safety, the lawmaker stressed the need for robust yet inclusive security reforms.
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“The need for effective security measures in the National Assembly cannot be overemphasised. Parliament has to remain accessible to the public to uphold democratic values, but this makes it difficult to implement stringent security measures without affecting others’ interests,” he said.
He urged State Houses of Assembly across the country to adopt similar measures to strengthen internal security in their legislative chambers.
“I also want to admonish our State Houses of Assembly to imbibe the same,” Muhammad added, wishing participants a “peaceful and fruitful hearing that will ultimately bring a turnaround in National Assembly security architecture.”
