Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday tasked top security officials to beef up the security measures at the National Assembly to avert any threat.
Lawan, who is also the chairman of the National Assembly, disclosed this in his opening remarks at an emergency meeting the leadership of the Senate had with top security officials.
“Personally I had a report from the DSS that we had a security threat. Many unknown and uninvited people came or are coming into the National Assembly complex and we felt we shouldn’t take this lightly.
“From today we have to find temporary solution to support the security arrangement here. We will find a more permanent solution by the time the entire environment is remodeled,” Lawan said.
In attendance were the Director General of the Department of Security Service(DSS) and representatives of the Defence, Police, Civil Defence, Fire Service and other security agencies.
Lawan said the responsibility for ensuring security for all Nigerians is a collective responsibility for both the legislative and executive arms of government.
“We are working hard, we are working round the clock. We have a very active ad hoc Committee that is already engaging with the security agencies.
“As principal officers of the National Assembly, or let me say in the Senate in this respect, our responsibility and obligation is to ensure that our Senators, members of the House of Representatives, workers of the National Assembly, our visitors and indeed anyone who has a lawful business to do in this National Assembly are safe.
“For a very long time, this National Assembly will always have people who have no business coming here.
“With the heightening insecurity in the country, the time has come for this National Assembly to be properly secured for members of the National Assembly to carry out their legislative and other functions, under a very safe atmosphere.
“And of course, our workers, our visitors. What that means is that, if someone has no business here, that person shouldn’t be in the National Assembly.
“Because we are a parliament, we are a place or an institution where our constituents who feel very strongly about any issue can come and express their opinions.
“Some will come for protests. Some will attend public hearings in the committee rooms. Some will visit the gallery or in some cases even enter the chamber when allowed to do so.
“So we want everybody, as far as the security of this National Assembly complex is concerned, to be at his place. Those who work here directly with us, the security agencies, know what we are talking about.
“From the gate, people who shouldn’t be here at all, find themselves in. And then people come in, moving from one office to another, looking for nothing because they have no appointment with anyone. Yet they pass through all the security systems that we have in place.
The Senate President however clarified that nobody is advocating a blanket ban on the people with genuine reasons from visiting the National Assembly.
“We are also at home with anyone who is attending public hearing….Nobody who has a reason to come should be stopped. We will still have visitors,” Lawan said.
