By Chìbuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Sen. Abdul Ningi representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District in the 10th Senate on Tuesday issued a blistering critique of the legislature’s failure to hold the country’s security agencies accountable, warning of catastrophic consequences insecurity poses if urgent reforms are not undertaken.
He stated this while fielding questions from newsmen who visited him in his office to shed more lights why he felt that convoking a security summmit is not the solution to the increasing rate of insecurity in the country.
I thought what we needed to do was to reflect on our own capacity to oversight these security agencies first rather than convoking a security summit.
Speaking during interview, the Bauchi lawmaker began by referencing key sections of the Constitution—Section 11 on public order and Section 80’s subsections, which empower the Assembly to control and scrutinize defense appropriations. He questioned why, despite these powers and five dedicated security committees (including Army, Defense, Air Force, Police, and National Security), there has been little to no oversight or revelations from committee findings in the past year.
Expressing worries over the rate at which insecurity spreads like wildfire, Sen Ningi asked where are the Tucanos that were bought with nearly $1billion borrowed fund? “We were told they can’t be fully used due to U.S.-imposed operational limitations. So why were they bought? Who signed off on this?” he demanded. “These are jets that have proven to be effective in Afghanistan and Ukraine battles. Yet in Nigeria, they’re grounded. Who is responsible?”
He went further, lamenting the shocking loss of military personnel in recent months and raising critical questions: “How many soldiers do we even have? How many police officers? How many Air Force pilots? No one seems to know. And meanwhile, armed groups are sweeping in from across the country, unchecked and undeterred,” Ningi said.
On the new proposed Security Summit he said even here, as members of National Assembly, we don’t fully discuss security in plenary, because of its sensitive nature. There are people who are coming from very insecurity encroached areas, you don’t put them on in the national television. They know who they are, they know their families and their family members. So for them to speak, and the refocusion will be, they’ll go and deal with them. And therefore, will you now go to Security Summit and now start divulging sensitive information. So what I was suggesting that we should have done was, do, let our committee do their oversight, constitutional responsibility, when we have the reports of these committees, then we now invite the service chiefs interrogate them. How much was budgeted, how much was released? If you released it, what is it for?
Sen Ningi therefore called for immediate oversight actions: “Let the committees do their job. Let’s summon the service chiefs. Ask them what was budgeted, what was released, and where the money went. Because on the ground, soldiers say they’re overwhelmed. The nation is overwhelmed.”
He also raised an alarm about a new and mysterious threat allegedly moving from Kogi through Oyo, warning: “A new militant group is on the move. If nothing is done, the South West could be overrun in months.”
…Stay tuned for full interview
