The Joint House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Army, Navy Airfotce and Interior yesterday became more than confused as to the propriety or otherwise of summoning the nation’s security chiefs to explain individual their efforts to forestall Kuje Correctional Service attack
It would be recalled that the Nigeria Correctional Service Maximum Security Prison Kuje Abuja was attacked by criminals suspected to be members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa ISWAP on Tuesday July 5, 2002
The House Committee had began an investigative hearing on the matter on August 23, had to invited some of the heads of security and intelligence agofo appear and teatify befors the probe panel as mandated by the House.
But a the rescheduled hearing on the matter on Monday, the joint committee began the investigation on a very confused manner when a motion to summon the Defence Minister, National Security Adviser NSA and other heads of security agencies was moved and later rescinded.
Chairman of the House jojnt Committee Hon.Ibrahim Sharada in a remark at the event said that the investigation was to also unrave the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate jail break.
He informed the stakeholders at the hearing that 888 inmates of the cordectional service had escaped after the invasion of the nation’s security facility after the attack.
He further hinted that the many of the heyof the nation’s security agencies invited to shed light in n the matted had shunned the invitation by the probe panel.
He added that the House panel would not hesitate to invoke the powers of the parliament under sectional 88 and 89 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) to comel the officers to come
Riding on thee strength of his statement l, a member of the probe panel Hon Nicholas Ossai immediately moved a motion that the Minister of Defence, National Security Adviser NSA and other heads of security agencies absence of the hearing be summoned.
The motion which was duly secinded by Hon Anayo Edwin was later rescinded as the Committee Chairman Hon.Sharada bowed to the submission by Hon Abdul Namdas who said the summon should be on individual officers and seperately done.
He said that no head of security agency absent at the hearing should be single out for persscution but shod rather be reinvited to appear before the panel.
The Committee Chairman later amended the motion and ruled that the invited officials should be reinvited through another official correspondence
This infuriated the mover of the motion Hon.Ossai who noted that the ruling by the Committee leader is against the parliamentary practices and procedures.
He therefore opted to immediately withdraw the motion and so the motion was rescinded and seconded also
Meanwhile, the Committee had grilled the Minister of Interior Engr.Rauf Aregbesola over the unfortunate attack.
The Minister in his brief remark before the panel went into closed doors said that 31 military personnel, 5 Mobile Police, 2 Counter Terrorism of Nigeria Police and 7 Nigeria Correctional Service Personnel died during the attack.
He also hinted that 888 inmates escaped out of which 17 were on life imprisonment and 106 others remained
He informed the joint committee that what precipitated the jail break was the general insecurity pervading the entire country including kidnapping, Boko Haram insurgency and other crimes.
