SPECIAL REPORT: Lack of press tags makes Nigeria’s National Assembly complex unsafe

John Okafor, a parliamentary security officer, was on routine patrol at the National Assembly Arcade at about 5 p.m. sometime in June last year when he witnessed an unusual scene.

A Nigerian Army major-general, accompanied by military officers, was meting out punishments on three men, who appeared to be in their early 40s. The men were ordered to kneel, raise their hands, hold their ears, and perform frog jumps around the Arcade. The men, Mr Okafor later learned, were being punished for allegedly duping the military officer by disguising themselves as journalists covering the National Assembly.

They had reportedly collected money from the officer in May 2025 when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, promising to publicise the sitting.

The parliamentary officer could not keep the incident to himself. He went to the Senate Press Centre to brief accredited journalists, urging them to be vigilant and to strengthen their relationships with heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to ensure proper recognition of legitimate reporters.

Several journalists, including the Chairman of the Senate Press Corps, Taiye Odewale, listened as the officer narrated the incident.

Mr Okafor said he could not confirm the exact amount they collected from the general. When this PREMIUM TIMES reporter requested that the officer disclose the identity of the military officer, he declined, saying he did not want the officer portrayed in a bad light.

The parliamentary officer said the general waited for weeks to see himself on television and in newspapers, but nothing appeared. When he returned to the Senate a month later for the same case, the three men approached him again, seeking more money for publicity.

Since he had discovered they were impostors, the officer asked them to follow him to his car to collect the money, unaware that he had already devised a plan to deal with them.

This incident is one of several recorded in recent months in which visitors to the National Assembly, particularly heads of MDAs, had been harassed within the complex by individuals posing as journalists.

In the past, journalists covering the National Assembly were required to wear visible, official identification tags issued by the parliament. Today, access is largely dependent on letters of introduction from media organisations or on notification letters issued by management confirming reporters’ identities. These notifications are typically printed in black and white on A4-sized paper.

Official press tags were last issued to accredited journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mohammed Sani-Omolori was the Clerk to the National Assembly. Successive clerks have retained this temporary arrangement, declining to reinstate the issuance of official press identification tags.

Under the former system, press tags were renewed annually and carried the journalist’s photograph, media organisation, designation and expiry date. The tags provided an easy means of identification within and around the National Assembly complex, and no individual could gain access as a journalist without presenting the official ID card.

Journalists who covered the parliament at the time confirmed that the suspension of press tag issuance during Mr Sani-Omolori’s tenure was reportedly justified on cost grounds. However, such expenses are ordinarily expected to be accommodated within the National Assembly’s annual budget, which runs into billions of naira.

The continued reliance on letters of introduction and black-and-white notification slips has created an unfriendly and insecure environment for journalists from credible media organisations, as it enables impostors to move freely within the complex without any verifiable or traceable affiliation to print, broadcast or online media outlets.

These impostors often parade the complex with worn-out cameras and microphones. In many cases, they troop into committee rooms not to report proceedings but to scramble for leftover fruits, snacks, bottled water and other refreshments left behind by lawmakers after meetings.

For instance, on 9 October 2025, during an interactive session between the Senate Committee on Finance and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, over the 2025 budget performance, chaos broke out moments after the committee chairman, Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), adjourned the meeting.

Three men and two women rushed to the senators’ seats to pack leftover items. Fatimah Musa*, a committee staff member, confronted them and demanded their identity. They quickly identified themselves as journalists.

However, ThisDay Newspaper correspondent at the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, intervened and asked them to present official media identification cards. None could produce any. They were subsequently ordered out of the committee room and asked to drop the items they had collected.

Harassing heads of MDAs and extortion

Aside from scrambling for leftovers, these impostors also harass some heads of MDAs who appear before the National Assembly, extorting money from them under the guise of journalists and, at times, fighting over the proceeds.

Mr Odewale told PREMIUM TIMES that the impostors often target revenue-generating agencies such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

He noted, however, that his leadership had made efforts to ensure that such agencies recognise and engage only with the Press Corps, the officially organised body of journalists covering the parliament.

Mr Odewale, who is also Blueprint Newspaper’s Chief Correspondent, confirmed that there have been multiple incidents in which the impostors publicly fought among themselves after extorting money from MDA heads.

Kabiru Zubair*, an aide to the Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, corroborated the claims. He said individuals posing as journalists frequently approach ministry officials for money whenever they appear before lawmakers.

“It happens all the time. They usually approach us after meetings with lawmakers, but we no longer pay them any attention. You know how that place is. These people are just looking for money by any means, and then they leave,” the aide said.

The situation, journalists say, has negatively affected the productivity and credibility of accredited reporters, largely because there is no official press identification to distinguish them from impostors.

Lawmakers who witness these individuals’ activities within the National Assembly complex often assume they are journalists, leading many to shy away from the press and to treat reporters with suspicion during and after committee meetings.

As with Ms Musawa’s ministry, several other agencies that have appeared before lawmakers have become increasingly reluctant to engage the media as a result of these experiences.

Mr Odewale described the activities of the impostors as embarrassing to accredited journalists, adding that the executives of the Senate Press Corps, in collaboration with their counterparts in the House of Representatives Press Corps, were engaging the National Assembly management to find a lasting solution to the problem.

Fighting over largesse

On 30 October 2025, at about 6:30 p.m., two men engaged in a violent fight on the first floor of the Senate complex, tearing each other’s clothes over what was believed to be money. On noticing the fight, a staff member of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, Adamu Dikko*, rushed to the Senate Press Centre to alert journalists.

Some reporters, including Tope Omogolagun of BusinessDay, Sani Onogu of The Nation, and John Akubo of The Guardian, went to the scene to intervene, only to discover that the men involved were not journalists but impostors.

It was unclear whose largesse the men were fighting over. However, on that same day, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, had accompanied Bernard Doro to the Senate chamber for ministerial screening.

Security challenges for journalists

Under the current access arrangement, accredited journalists frequently encounter difficulties gaining access to the National Assembly complex when challenged by parliamentary security officers, despite presenting media house identity cards and official letters of introduction.

On many occasions, security officers reportedly question the authenticity of the letters, seize them because they are not recognised, and deny journalists entry into the complex. As a result, several reporters are prevented from accessing the press gallery and committee rooms to monitor plenary sittings and legislative activities.

Last June, a sergeant-at-arms seized the official letter of introduction of a PREMIUM TIMES correspondent covering the Senate, arguing that the document was not recognised. Meanwhile, the organisation’s correspondent covering the House of Representatives was allowed entry into the complex with the same letter.

A similar experience was reported by BusinessDay correspondents covering both the Senate and the House of Representatives, highlighting the lack of a uniform access standard across the two chambers.

The inconsistent enforcement of access rules creates confusion, arbitrariness and disruptions to parliamentary coverage, even as individuals posing as journalists appear to move freely within the complex.

NASS speaks

Audu Biallah, the director of the National Assembly Information Department, which is responsible for issuing press tags to journalists, declined to comment when approached about the issue.

Global standards and comparative context

Globally, parliamentary press access is governed by formal accreditation systems administered by legislative authorities, a standard designed to balance transparency, press freedom and security.

Across major democracies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the European Parliament, journalists covering parliament are issued official parliamentary identification cards. These IDs, often renewed annually or per legislative session, clearly distinguish accredited journalists from visitors, lobbyists and political aides.

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Under these systems, press galleries or press corps operate as recognised bodies under written rules approved by parliament, while security agencies rely on official badges to enforce access control.

For instance, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the US parliament tightened access by requiring biometric or photo IDs, Colour-coded badges for press, staff, and visitors, restricted zones for non-accredited persons, and immediate revocation for impersonation.

Impersonating a journalist within parliamentary premises is treated as a serious security breach, often attracting sanctions or prosecution because it largely violates modern parliamentary security norms.

In contrast, Nigeria’s National Assembly currently relies largely on media house identity cards or letters of introduction, with no universally recognised parliamentary press ID in circulation. Despite these impostors operating openly, there are no records indicating that any of them has been arrested or prosecuted.

Ifeanyi Odili, president of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), said this arrangement falls short of global democratic and security standards and creates fertile ground for impersonation, extortion, and abuse.

“Journalists must be clearly distinguishable from lobbyists, political aides, visitors, contractors,” he said.

“Our country must adopt the best practice, which includes the issuance of different badge colours, separate access routes, clear signage and enforcement. By so doing, it’ll prevent extortion, conflict of interest and reputational damage to the press,” he added.

*The names of sources asterisked in this story have been altered to protect the persons from victimisation by their employers.