Insecurity: Akpabio sacks two committee chairmen as Senate leadership meets Tinubu

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday removed Umar Buba and Godiya Akwashiki as chairmen of the Committees on National Security and Intelligence, and Air Force, respectively, over their failure to perform oversight duties amid increasing insecurity nationwide.

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Mr Akpabio also announced the immediate dissolution of both committees.

Mr Buba, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), represents Bauchi South, while Mr Akwashiki, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), represents Nasarawa North.

The two senators were removed after a complaint by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who said the committees had failed to provide the chamber with timely and relevant security information despite rising cases of kidnapping and banditry.

Mr Bamidele said the committees, particularly the National Security and Intelligence Committee, should prioritise the key motions and concerns that senators bring to the chamber.

He added that these committees must lead on critical security issues rather than lag behind on matters of national importance.

“As a senator and as a principal officer, I am not impressed, for instance, with the performance of the Senate’s Committee on Security and Intelligence, and I feel that that is an area that we need to look into.

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Some of the motions that distinguished senators are bringing, some of the concerns being expressed by some of our colleagues, are things that I believe our committee on Security and Intelligence could have been on top of,” he said.

The senate leader argued that before demanding that the executive arm of government rejig the nation’s security architecture, the legislature must first overhaul its own oversight structures.

“So, at this point, I think that it should be part of our own starting point to even look inward and see in what areas we can do the rejigging ourselves to give us the credibility to keep calling on the executive arm of government to rejig our security architecture,” he added.

Mr Akpabio subsequently put the matter to a voice vote, and the majority of senators supported the dissolution.

The senate president thereafter said the committees would be reconstituted within a week.

The decision comes as kidnapping and bandit attacks continue to surge across the country.

Mr Buba, whose committee was responsible for overseeing the nation’s intelligence operations, has largely stayed out of public view and has contributed minimally to national security discussions on the floor of the Senate.

The senator has not featured in security deliberations for a long period.

READ ALSO: Insecurity: Nigerian lawmakers move to impose death penalty for kidnapping

Mr Akwashiki has also been absent from Senate proceedings, with reports suggesting he may be battling an illness.

Senate leadership to meet Tinubu

The Senate also resolved that its leadership should meet with President Bola Tinubu to brief him on its latest resolutions regarding the worsening security situation.