Inter-Agency clash: Senate urges FG to intervene in EFCC, NIA, DSS faceoff

Consequent upon frequent faceoff among operatives of security agencies in the country, the Senate has urged the Federal Government to intervene in inter-agency rivalry with a view to finding lasting solution.

The Senate also called on federal government to properly coordinate the security agencies in their assigned responsibilities to avoid frictions that may result from duplication of duties.

In doing this, the Senate believe that the security agencies will be properly guided against blanket investigations as these could jeopardise the nation’s security operations and bring the country into disrepute both local and internationally.

This is just as the Senate resolved that it should join hands with the House of Representatives to initiate the amendment of ‘’National Security Agencies Act Cap N74 LFN 2010’’.

This is with a view to giving powers of control to the co-ordination on National Security over these Agencies on behalf of the President.

Sen. Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi) who moved the motion for the setting up of the joint committee, said the recommendations were far reaching.

He said. “And if implemented with every sincerity of heart and purpose, it might at the end of the day solve our problems.”

“There is an international embarrassment as a result of the discordant tunes being sang by different security agencies in this country.

“It is sacrilegious, abominable, unacceptable for sister security agencies to be at war with each other.”

He further noted that the effect of the issue had resulted in the insecurity faced in the country.

“The problem of herdsmen, kidnapping and terrorism will never be resolved except there is a cohesion and cooperation among these sister security agencies.

“The issue of $1 billion to fight Boko Haram, with the crisis on ground, even the sharing of this money among the sister agencies will be a problem.”

He called for the setting up a compliance department to ensure that the President of the Senate was involved in the implementation of the recommendations.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Investigation of Arrest Episodes of Tuesday Nov. 21 2017 among officers of EFCC, NIA and DSS
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The face-off was said to have stemmed from EFCC’s attempted arrest of former directors- general of DSS, Ita Ekpeyong and NIA, Ayodele Oke.

The Daily Times recalls that EFCC went to the residence of the former DG of DSS, Mr Ita Ekpeyong, to effect his arrest and the men of the DSS stopped the attempt.

The report of the committee was laid before the upper chamber on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 by the chairman.

Contributing, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) said: “The report of the committee of which I’m part of clearly defines and states the problems of security and inter agency issues in this country.”

He lamented that Nigeria was faced with serious security challenge” while security agencies who were supposed to work together for the safety and peace of the country were at each other’s throat.

“This country has suffered enough; bloodshed, mindless killings from all parts of the country. You expect ideally, to have security agencies that will be conscious of this.

“The need for them to work together for the betterment of this country. I have seen this rivalry as more of political interference from the executive side on issues of security.

“Rather than confront the common danger that all arms of security should work together to achieve, you see them competing at each other and undoing each other.”

Sani further said that if the parliament did not step into the matter, with a very strong result, the problem was bound to continue.

In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki said: “it was not in the interest of the security of the country for us to see this kind of unhealthy inter agency rivalry, these are agencies that need each other.

“The issue of our security is of great concern. We charge these agencies pending if the intervention of the president. As professionals, they should be able to rise above their individual differences”.