Fears As Terrorists Threaten to Bomb National Assembly
The National Assembly faces imminent terrorist bombing threats, prompting urgent calls for fortified security, the Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, disclosed on Tuesday.
Speaking at a public hearing in Abuja on a bill to establish the Legislative Security Directorate, Muhammad revealed: “We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly Complex and threats from protesters to lock up the National Assembly.”
The proposed directorate aims to enhance security management, protecting lawmakers, staff, and visitors amid rising challenges like car and motorcycle theft, vandalism, fake identity cards, and infiltration by unregistered visitors.
“Legislators are exposed to threats from constituents and others who gain easy access to their offices without any formal appointment,” Muhammad said. He warned that unchecked vulnerabilities could halt legislative functions: “It is obvious that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures are not taken, it will truncate the legislative activities in the National Assembly. If activities are thwarted, there will be no representation, no oversight, no annual budget, no plenary at all — and that will destabilise legislative procedure, democracy, and the stability of the system, and our nation at large.”
Recalling a May 4, 2021, alert about a planned Boko Haram attack on the complex and other VIP sites, security was ramped up with vehicle checks causing gate congestion. Lawmakers used the presidential gate, and experts demanded stronger federal safeguards as insurgents operated near the FCT in Niger State.
Muhammad advocated a multi-layered approach: “That is why this bill is important. It seeks to address all the challenges as aforesaid and adopt the world’s best practices of parliamentary security procedures and architecture. The need for effective security measures in the National Assembly cannot be overemphasised because parliament has to remain accessible to the public. However, this bill is committed to ensuring the best security architecture in the National Assembly — to protect legislators, staff, visitors, and property.”
He urged state assemblies to fortify their complexes and stakeholders to expedite the bill’s passage for democratic stability. “I wish us a peaceful and fruitful hearing that will ultimately bring a turnaround in the National Assembly’s security architecture,” he concluded.