The Digest:
The National Assembly has issued a forceful call for transparency and tougher penalties. Lawmakers are pushing the federal government to publicly identify and prosecute the financiers of terrorism as a critical step in dismantling the networks behind the violence.
Key points:
- The Senate approved a bill to classify kidnapping as terrorism, prescribing the death penalty for perpetrators and their enablers.
- A parallel House of Representatives resolution demanded that terrorism financiers be publicly named and sanctioned.
- Legislators criticized deradicalization programs and called for a special court to handle terrorism-related cases.
- Proposed security measures include expanding cashless policies and placing all security budgets on a ‘first-line charge’.
- During his screening, Defence Minister-designate Gen. Christopher Musa vowed to probe recent security lapses, including a troop withdrawal before a school abduction.
- The EU reaffirmed its security partnership with Nigeria, outlining a €300m support package for northern regions.
- Lawmakers debated scaling back police guards for VIPs, resolving that only serving national officers should retain them.
Sources: Punch, Daily Post
