BY TEDDY NWANUNOBI
The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, raised the alarm over threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
New National Star reports that the 2025 Nigerian budget allocated the sum of N4.91 trillion for overall defense and security, with specific breakdowns for agencies like the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Ministry of Interior.
The 2025 National Assembly budget itself is N344.85 billion. The combined security budget for the country is separate from the budget allocated to the National Assembly for its own operational and administrative needs.
Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, disclosed the bomb threat during a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish the Legislative Security Directorate, which aims to strengthen security within the nation’s parliament.
Muhammad said the National Assembly complex; which houses both the Senate and House of Representatives, has faced recurring security concerns, including theft, vandalism, and infiltration by unregistered visitors.
“We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly Complex and threats from protesters to lock up the National Assembly,” he said.
He warned that continued security lapses could disrupt legislative activities, including plenary sessions, budget deliberations, and oversight duties, thereby destabilising the democratic process.
“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,” Muhammad said.
The lawmaker recalled that in May 2021, a similar security alert warned of planned Boko Haram attacks on the complex and other key government locations in Abuja, prompting tighter access control and vehicle checks.
He said the proposed bill would provide a coordinated and multi-layered approach to managing security at the National Assembly, adopting global best practices to ensure safety while keeping the parliament accessible to the public.
“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 to protect legislators, staff, visitors, and property,” he said.
Muhammad also urged State Houses of Assembly to take proactive steps to safeguard their complexes, stressing that the security of democratic institutions must be treated as a national priority.