…As Police, Others Express Reservations
By Saint Mugaga

State Houses of Assembly and other stakeholders have declared support for the proposed establishment of a Legislative Security Directorate in the National Assembly, even as some security agencies, including the Police, raised concerns about certain provisions of the Bill.

The positions were presented on Tuesday during a public hearing organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Internal Security on the Bill titled:

A 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).

In his opening remarks, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Garba Ibrahim Muhammad, underscored the importance of robust security in all arms of government, particularly in the Legislature, which receives heavy daily foot traffic from lawmakers, staff, executive officials, judiciary members, civil society groups, and protesters.

He noted that the National Assembly had faced numerous security threats, including car and motorcycle thefts, vandalism, unauthorized access, fake identity cards, and petty trading within the complex.

Hon. Garba added that the Bill seeks to “adopt global best practices in parliamentary security management and create a comprehensive framework to safeguard legislative operations.”

Representing the Inspector General of Police, AIG Emmanuel Aina, the Police cautioned that creating a separate Directorate might lead to overlapping mandates and a “parallel administrative function.”

He said, “While the intent to strengthen security in the National Assembly is commendable, establishing a new Directorate could undermine existing collaborative arrangements among security agencies already performing these functions effectively.”

Similarly, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) supported the Bill in principle but expressed reservations about certain clauses.

The Corps noted that in other jurisdictions such as the United States and Canada, parliamentary security is coordinated under the police or a designated agency, with the Sergeant-At-Arms playing a central role in security administration.

In contrast, several State Assemblies fully endorsed the proposal.

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly, represented by its Deputy Clerk, Paul Samuel, described the Bill as timely, saying it would “strengthen security within the legislature and ensure career progression similar to the civil service.”

The Kano State House of Assembly, represented by Hon. Tukur Muhammed (Fagge Constituency), and the Plateau State House of Assembly, represented by Deputy Sergeant-At-Arms Sokowar John, also expressed full support for the Bill.

Likewise, the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), represented by its President, Comrade Mohammed, declared its “total support” for the proposed Directorate.

Responding to concerns raised by some stakeholders over whether the Directorate’s personnel would be authorized to bear arms, the Sergeant-At-Arms of the National Assembly clarified that only trained and legally authorized officers would handle arms.

He said, “Handling arms requires proper authorization and training. Our personnel undergo specialized security training and have demonstrated professionalism in collaborating with other security agencies within the National Assembly.”

By Saint Mugaga, Abuja

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has called for a deeper partnership towards strengthening inter-parliamentary relations between Nigerian and the European Parliament.

He made the call while playing host to a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) of the European Parliament who paid him a courtesy visit at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Represented by the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, the speaker said there’s need for concrete action that reflects a true partnership of equals in solving shared challenges and building a prosperous future.

He appealed to the delegation to facilitate legislative exchange programmes where Nigerian and European parliamentarians can hold committee sessions, share best practices in legislative drafting, collaborate on thematic areas such as climate legislation, digital governance, trade policy, and democratic accountability.

This peer-to-peer learning, according to the speaker will strengthen both institutions.

He also called for establishment of a Joint Parliamentary Committee dedicated to Nigeria-EU relations, to provide a structured platform for regular dialogue on legislative priorities, policy alignment, and mutual accountability on commitments made at executive levels.

The speaker commended the delegation for their work, saying that their efforts in strengthening trans-Atlantic and EU-Africa relations have not gone unnoticed.

He said, “It is with honour, respect, and pleasure that I welcome you to the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on behalf of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Right Honourable Abbas Tajudeen and the entire membership of the 10th House of Representatives. Welcome to the People’s House!Welcome to Abuja, the seat of Nigeria’s democracy and the heart of Africa’s largest legislative institution.

“Distinguished Chair, David McAllister, honourable members of AFET, this is not my first engagement with the European Parliament. Indeed, this moment brings to mind the high-level EU Parliament-Pan-African Parliament Roundtable held in Brussels, Belgium, during the European Public Diplomacy Week (EPDW) in June 2025: a landmark forum where I had the distinct privilege of leading a Nigerian and African delegation to engage European policymakers on the future of EU-Africa relations.

“The core of my message in Brussels was clear: The solution is not for Africans to migrate to Europe, but for European industry, technology, and capital to migrate to Africa. That principle remains the foundation of Nigeria’s vision for partnership, and it is in that spirit that we welcome you here today.

“We should consider upgrading the Nigeria-EU Dialogue Mechanism to include a parliamentary track, complementing the ministerial-level engagements with annual parliamentary consultations. This ensures that legislatures, the true representatives of the people, are at the center of shaping and monitoring the partnership.

“Fourth, we should jointly convene thematic roundtables on critical issues such as the green transition, critical minerals governance and so on. These roundtables should involve not only parliamentarians but also technical staff, civil society, and the private sector, ensuring that legislative action is evidence-based and inclusive.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David MacAllister, their mission was to deepen mutual understanding, explore new areas of collaboration, and reinforce political and economic ties between both sides.

Mrs Patience Akpabio, Sister in law to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been excommunicated by the Greater Akpabio Family for her continuous online tirades against Senator Akpabio.

The family in a press briefing held on t Monday at their Ancestral meeting home in Ukana Essien Udim Council area, warned all members of the public to desist from any dealing with Mrs Patience Ibanga Akpabio as a member of our Greater Akpabio family saying, “It is sad, that she has pushed us to this line of action by her untoward and satanic actions”.

The family head, Chief Ekam Akpabio speaking on behalf of the family said, “We had earlier through a public notification, served the said Mrs Patience lbanga Akpabio a traditional injunction, demanding that she immediately cease and desist from making further statements about the person of HE, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio his wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Ekaette Unoma Akpabio and other members of the Greater Akpabio family.
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He lamented that “She has continued in her tirade, thus ignoring the injunction by the family. This in itself has brought the family to public ridicule, shame and suggestive of a family unable to manage and control her members. This has never happened and should not have happen at the first instance.
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‎He further highlighted, “The Family is deeply saddened that despite the assurances of our son and her husband, Barr Ibanga Akpabio, that she will cease and desist immediately on
‎her actions in view of the negative attention generated, the aspersions and
‎insults directed at the persons of the Senate President, his wife and indeed
‎the our greater family has continued unabated.
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‎He added , “As you may probably know, the Greater Akpabio Family has very well-known norms of respect, unity and age-long channels to address grievances. To see that this norms and channels Were not adhered to is regrettable. We therefore condemn these actions in their entirety. Such acts are destructive and an affront to our collective survival and development while also being repulsive to family and human dignity.

“They undermine the essence of our
‎core family values while bringing unnecessary distraction and suffering to our communities. We are united in rejecting these actions and reaffirming our commitment to upholding the time-honored ideals of respect, unity and
‎constructive engagement that have always defined us as a family.
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‎”The Greater Akpabio family shall not condone any act or behaviour that shall
‎bring the family to disrepute or pubic opprobrium as exemplified by Mrs
‎Patience Ibanga Akpabio’s Current conduct and attitude.
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“Consequently, we strongly denounce the unwarranted and repeated attacks
‎on our esteemed son and Pride of our Family, President of the Senate, His
‎Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON. We are
‎immensely proud of his exemplary representation of our Family, Senatorial
‎District and his remarkable achievements as the President of the Senate”.