Senate In Closed-door Session With Security Chiefs

The Senate has entered into a closed-door meeting with Service Chiefs on Tuesday afternoon.

The meeting is coming after Tuesday last week’s meeting was adjourned and expanded to include ministers in charge of the nation’s security and the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun.

But, while ushering in the visitors into the hallowed chamber, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the the Senate was proceeding into a Committee of the Whole, which will be in a closed session.

Also, Senate President Godswill Akpabio had said that the interactive session will be in a closed-door session afterwhich they will brief the Nigerian people on the outcome.

The Senate had declared that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was under threat following incessant kidnapping of residents in the last few weeks.

The closed-door meeting which started at exactly 12:50pm, has the agenda basically on the rising insecurity in the country.

The Senate had last week said that if Nigerian security failed, it means the government has failed, adding that they will not leave any stone unturned until Nigerians can sleep with their two eyes closed.

Speaking when some of the Service Chiefs appeared before the Senate, the Senate President Akpabio said that the FCT was under threat including Agatu area in Benue State, Taraba State, Oyo State, Plateau State.

Akpabio insisted that the FCT has been infiltrated through Kubwa, Bwari and other places.

At the earlier meeting, the service chiefs in attendance were the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director General (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, were not in attendance, which prompted the Senate to expand the meeting and fixed Tuesday, February 12, 2024 for another expanded meeting.

Those present at Tuesday’s meeting were the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa; National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu; Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the Directors-General of DSS and NIA; Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru; Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam; and Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim.

Also, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, were in attendance.

Details Later…