Insecurity: NASS to approve special funding for security agencies
The Senate, after a four hours meeting held behind closed doors with the heads of security agencies over the spate of killings and insecurity across the country, requested for a special funding for approval.
The lawmakers asked the security agencies to forward their requests for special funding, different from the annual budget of the agencies within two weeks.
The Senate had summoned the service chiefs and heads of security agencies in the country to address the lawmakers over the rising spate of killings in the country.
The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, described the meeting as a useful deliberations, adding that it was resolved that the security agencies would get special funding, which the legislature was ready to approve.
He stated that, the Senate, received briefs from the Chief of Defence Staff, the Director General of the Department of State Services; representatives of the Comptroller-General Immigration Service, Inspector General of Police, and the Comptroller- General of Customs on the proliferation of dangerous arms, spate of killings and kidnappings by hoodlums across the country.
“Thereafter, they answered questions from the senators bordering on security, insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and other talks on national security matters.
“we decided that on our part, certain outstanding bills or protocols that needed to be given a fast track, should be addressed immediately, to see that they can be passed as soon as possible in order to strengthen the security architecture”, Saraki said.
He added that the Senate has agreed to continue to work together in order to address the issue of insecurity.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, who briefed journalists after the session, said the Chief of Defence Staff led what he called a delegation of security agencies to the Senate.
Sabi-Abdullahi also noted that the special funding was part of the $1bn security fund approved by the National Executive Council, out of which President Muhammadu Buhari had approved withdrawal of $496m from the Excess Crude Account to purchase military aircraft from the United States.
