Brig. Gen. Muhammad Ali (rtd), a delegate representing Zamfara, on Tuesday, expressed concerns over the non-deployment of soldiers to the national conference venue.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at the resumption of plenary, Ali raised an issue of urgent importance and drew attention of the Chairman to security issues at the venue.
Ali said that security around the conference venue was being compromised.
“Knowing the implication of what is going in the country, there is need for us to be screening all vehicles and personnel coming into this conference.
“I observed that if you are passing, you only show your accreditation card and they allow you; that is not good enough, the security should be tightened up, ’’ he said.
He explained that having gone round the venue he discovered that the venue was porous as there was concentration of security personnel mainly at the gate.
The retired military officer particularly, expressed worry that the Department of State Security had taken over security at the venue at the expense of the police and military personnel.
“If you go round, you will see important people here, so I don’t see reason why soldiers should not be deployed to this conference.
“We have senior colleagues here who are retired; we have service chiefs and other senior Nigerians.
“I also observed that some of the security deployed are mostly Department of State Security Service, I don’t know when department of SSS has taken over combat issues.
“I have never see anywhere in the world where a secret organisation has taken over combat duties.
“We go about with names DSS, CIA all over the places and SSS is not for combat duties,’’ he said.
In his response, the Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi (rtd), said that the issue would be looked into by the secretariat.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many of the delegates also agreed with the submissions of the retired general. (NAN)
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