Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, disclosed this on Tuesday during a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish the Legislative Security Directorate

By Titilope Adako

The House of Representatives has raised alarm over threats by terrorists to bomb the National Assembly complex, calling for urgent measures to strengthen security within the country’s highest legislative institution.

Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, disclosed this on Tuesday during a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish the Legislative Security Directorate.

Muhammad said the National Assembly, which serves as the seat of Nigeria’s democracy, had increasingly faced serious security challenges, including cases of car and motorcycle theft, vandalism, fake identity cards, and infiltration by unregistered visitors.

He said: “We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly complex and threats from protesters to lock up the National Assembly. Legislators are exposed to threats from constituents and others who gain easy access into their offices without any formal appointment.”

The lawmaker warned that if such threats and lapses were not addressed urgently, legislative operations could be disrupted, posing grave risks to governance and democracy.

He cautioned: “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. If activities are thwarted, there will be no representation, no oversight, no annual budget, no plenary at all — and that will destabilise legislative procedure, democracy, and the stability of the system, and our nation at large.”

Muhammad stressed that effective security management required a coordinated and holistic approach to ensure that legislative duties were carried out without fear or hindrance.

According to him, “That is why this bill is very important. It seeks to address all the challenges as aforesaid and adopt world best practices of parliamentary security procedures and architecture.”

He added that while the National Assembly must remain accessible to the public to uphold democratic values, security should not be compromised.

“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 in the National Assembly to protect legislators, staff, visitors, and property,” he said.

Muhammad further urged state Houses of Assembly across the country to adopt similar measures to enhance legislative security nationwide.

He called for collective support for the passage of the bill, describing it as a major step towards safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

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