BEVERLY HILLS, May 24, (THEWILL) – The Senate has declared that special funding should be given to security agencies to battle the spate of insecurity in the country.
This came after a four-hour closed-door security briefing for senators by heads of security agencies.
THEWILL recalls that the Senator had invited the security chiefs over the proliferation of firearms, spate of killings by terrorists and kidnapping by hoodlums across the country.
Those invited are the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno (rtd); Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede; Director General, Department of State Services, Lawal Daura; and, Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali.
The Chief of Defence Staff and the DSS DG were at the briefing while the Comptroller General of Immigration, Comptroller General Customs and Inspector General of Police sent representatives to the briefing.
Senate President Bukola Saraki who announced the resolutions, said the security chiefs were directed to present emergency special budget for the consideration and approval of the National Assembly.
“We directed that on our part certain outstanding bills or protocols that needed to be given a fast tract should be addressed immediately to see that they can be passed as soon as possible in order to strengthen security architecture.
“We all observed the funding issue and we also agreed that there must be a special funding and as such we gave them two weeks to present their own budget on this area of special funding that we think will go a long way to improve the security situation in the country.
“Of course of great concern was the issue of the coordination among the security agencies. One of that again is that we will be looking to have constitutional law passage to see what we can do to strengthen that aspect of the security.
“By and large, we are committed to ensure that this unfortunate trend of killings we must find a way to bring an end to it.
“And we have all agreed to continue to work together to cooperate and work various closely in order to address this issue and we are confident that changes will begin to be seen in this area and we have our own role to play.
“They have also committed to play their own role and we hope that over the next couple of weeks we will begin to take actions on some of these things that we have committed to.
“It shows how committed in showing that we do protect the lives and property of citizens,” he said.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who threw more light on the briefing said that the demand for a special budget was different from the $1 billion approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for the military to fund its operations against the scourge of Boko Haram.
