Ningi raised alarm over the growing audacity of armed groups, warning that suburbs of the FCT were no longer safe after dark.
Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi central) has issued a scathing rebuke of the national assembly’s handling of security oversight, calling for an urgent interrogation of its security-related committees.
He pointedly accused the senate of abdicating its constitutional responsibility to scrutinise defence spending and military procurement and opting for summits instead.
Ningi made the remarks on Tuesday during plenary while contributing to a motion on the urgent need to organise a two-day national security summit in Abuja to address Nigeria’s deepening insecurity and rising global threats.
The motion was sponsored by Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) and co-sponsored by Sen. Titus Zam (APC, Benue North-West), Sen. Onyeka Nwebonyi (APC, Ebonyi North), and Sen. Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West).
In his intervention, Ningi challenged the senate’s leadership to account for the work of the defence, navy, air force, police, and national security committees, which he said had not been properly interrogated despite the worsening security situation across the country.
“How many times, Mr. President, have we interrogated committees on defence, navy, air force, police, and national security?” Ningi asked. “These are committees that set out to achieve what the constitution says we should achieve.”
He cited constitutional provisions under Sections 11 and 81 and 81, stressing that the national assembly holds powers to ensure public order and regulate spending through the consolidated revenue fund, yet had not exercised those powers effectively.
Ningi also criticised the legislature’s failure to adequately interrogate the 2023 and 2024 security budgets, despite prior testimony by the National Security Adviser (NSA) admitting that appropriations were grossly insufficient.
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He further raised alarm over the growing audacity of armed groups, warning that suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were no longer safe after dark. “I can confirm to you authoritatively that you can no longer go to Kwali or Kubwa beyond 9 or 10 p.m. without fear of being taken away,” he said. “These bandits that are running towns and villages in Benue, in Zamfara, in Sokoto, in Keffi are gradually moving into the closed neighborhood of this city.”
The senator cited an unresolved case involving the procurement of Tucano aircraft, purchased with not less than $1 billion loan, questioning the secrecy surrounding their usage and contract terms. According to Ningi, a senior military official once told parliament that the aircraft were restricted by contractual agreements that limited their deployment, a claim he found deeply troubling.
He said, “When we were screening the service chiefs, we raised a question. One of the questions that was raised to the chief of aircraft was ‘where is our Tucano aircraft?’”
“This Tucano was purchased by not less than one billion U.S. dollars, borrowed, and the answer given to the parliament by the chief of aircraft was, ‘Tucano is in our domain, but we can no longer use because they have signed a contract which limited the operations of this Tucano.’”
“If you know this Tucano has limitations, why in the first instance did you buy them? How much did you buy them? Who ordered the contract? Who did the procurement? Where are the Tucanos physically?
“We cannot keep operating in the dark while lives are being lost,” he lamented.
Other senators joined the debate with differing perspectives. Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) and Sen. Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central) argued that another summit might be insufficient to tackle the crisis.
Aliero instead urged the senate to summon and hold private discussions with security chiefs, including the Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff.
“We need to invite the service chiefs and discuss with them one by one,” Aliero insisted.
However, the motion received strong backing from Sen. Titus Zam and the senate minority leader, Abba Moro, who stressed the importance of convening the summit as a platform for renewed national action on insecurity.
The motion was eventually adopted by the senate, paving the way for a two-day national security summit.
