By Milcah Tanimu
In a significant development, the nation’s service chiefs, including Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, are currently engaged in a closed-door sectoral debate on national security with members of the House of Representatives. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, is also participating in the deliberations.
The meeting, which commenced at 11:26 a.m., is being conducted behind closed doors. This comes in the wake of criticism last Thursday when lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the security heads for sending representatives who were subsequently rejected.
Before the closed-door session, the service chiefs and the IGP took turns outlining the various efforts and strategies being employed to address the prevailing security challenges in the country.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff, specifically called on the National Assembly to intervene in enhancing surveillance in backwaters, creeks, and other areas behind the coastline. He emphasized that such intervention would enable 24-hour monitoring, effectively addressing issues such as oil theft, pipeline vandalization, and illegal refining.
Last week, the House of Representatives expressed displeasure over the absence of the service chiefs and the IGP during an interactive session scheduled for plenary. The security heads had sent representatives instead. In response to this, the House rescheduled the engagement to today, insisting that the service chiefs must personally appear for the sectoral debate.
