Upper house summons lawmakers back from break amid escalating safety concerns

The Senate has abruptly cut short its legislative recess, summoning lawmakers to an emergency plenary session to tackle the nation's pressing issues, most notably the escalating insecurity across the country.

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In a notice dated June 15, signed by Clerk of the Senate Emmanuel Odo, senators have been directed to reconvene at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Tuesday, June 23, at 11:00 a.m., as instructed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

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The emergency sitting, as stated in the notice, is necessitated by matters of urgent national importance that require immediate legislative attention, particularly those related to national security and other critical concerns.

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The notice explicitly states that the purpose of the emergency sitting is to enable the Senate to consider matters of urgent national importance, including issues relating to national security and other critical concerns that require immediate legislative attention.

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The Senate has apologized for any inconvenience this development may cause and has urged all lawmakers to make necessary arrangements to attend the session.

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This decision marks a significant departure from the National Assembly's earlier schedule, which had both chambers adjourning plenary and proceeding on recess, with lawmakers expected to resume legislative activities on July 7, 2026.

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The break was initially intended to allow members to observe the Democracy Day holiday and undertake constituency engagements across their respective districts.

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The emergency recall comes amid growing concerns over insecurity and renewed calls for stronger measures to tackle terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, just days after President Bola Tinubu declared that no mercy would be shown to terrorists and their sponsors.

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In his Democracy Day address, President Tinubu issued a stern warning to bandits, kidnappers, and those financing terror activities, urging them to surrender or face the full weight of the law, while revealing that more than 13,000 terrorists had been neutralised within the past year.

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Tinubu also claimed that terror-related deaths had dropped by 81 per cent since 2015, although he acknowledged that the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo and Borno states remained a painful reminder of the country's security challenges.

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The emergency sitting is expected to take place against the backdrop of ongoing legislative efforts to reform Nigeria's security architecture, including proposals for the creation of state police.

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Last week, the National Assembly advanced proposals to amend the 1999 Constitution to permit decentralised policing, which would transfer policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states to establish and control their own police formations.

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The proposed legislation seeks to achieve this through amendments to Sections 197, 214, and 215 of the Constitution, among others, with the Senate having already passed the measure for second reading.

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The June 23 emergency session is expected to provide an opportunity for senators to deliberate on the nation's security challenges and consider further legislative interventions to find lasting solutions to the country's persistent security crisis.