Appearing before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, alongside other service chiefs, engaged in a security sectoral debate addressing pressing issues.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, urged the National Assembly to enhance surveillance in backwaters and creeks, targeting areas behind the coastline to combat oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and illegal refining.
IGP Kayode Egbetokun outlined challenges within the police force, including poor logistics provision, insufficient patrol vehicles, inadequate training, and poor personnel welfare.
CDS Musa emphasized the need for improved funding, revealing that military personnel, including himself, are provided only N1,500 per day. He called for judicial collaboration to prevent criminals’ release on technicalities and advocated for special courts to address high-level criminal cases.
Expressing concern over the safety of security personnel, CDS Musa addressed the issue of Simon Ekpa, calling for diplomatic action against individuals posing threats to the country.
In addressing illegal mining, Gen. Musa advocated for states to take over for proper management.
The security chiefs’ appearance followed last week’s criticism by lawmakers for sending representatives instead of attending the scheduled interactive session. This prompted the House to reject the representation and reschedule the engagement to Tuesday.
Security Chiefs Decline Parliamentary Invitation, Sectoral Debate Suspended
After outlining individual efforts to address the security situation, the security heads faced questions from lawmakers before the House went into an executive session to receive detailed answers.
The House of Representatives had expressed displeasure over the absence of the service chiefs and IGP at the initially scheduled interactive session, leading to a rejection of representatives and a subsequent rescheduling of the session to ensure the top officials’ presence.
