AfriPulse
Senate has announced plans to hold an executive briefing on the United States air strikes carried out on December 25 against terrorist targets in Sokoto State, following concerns raised by Senator Abdul Ningi over the alleged exclusion of the National Assembly from prior discussions.
The issue was brought to the floor during plenary under Order 42 (Matters of Privilege) by Senator Ningi, an opposition lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, who questioned the circumstances surrounding the foreign military operation on Nigerian soil.
Ningi argued that the air strikes constituted a breach of Nigeria’s territorial integrity and should not have been executed without legislative oversight. He maintained that the National Assembly, which is constitutionally empowered to participate in matters relating to national security and foreign military engagements, was sidelined before the operation was approved.
“It is not right. If we begin to dilly dally, it becomes a problem. The leadership of the National Assembly should be briefed by the security agencies on what actually happened. This is a violation of our territorial integrity,” the senator said.
He further warned that allowing the executive arm of government to unilaterally authorise foreign military actions within Nigeria could set a dangerous precedent, potentially emboldening other global powers to act without consulting the legislature.
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured lawmakers that arrangements had already been made to brief the Senate in an executive session, stressing that the matter was too sensitive to be discussed openly.
According to Akpabio, the planned closed-door briefing could not hold as scheduled due to the suspension of legislative activities in honour of the late Senator Godiya Akwashiki, who died on December 31, 2025.
“This is a security matter and we really should not discuss it in the open. We wanted to do it behind closed doors yesterday, but because of Senator Akwashiki, we couldn’t. Your point of order is noted and arrangements will be made to brief senators in a closed session,” Akpabio said.
The U.S. air strikes, carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities, targeted camps linked to the Islamic State group. The United States Africa Command later confirmed that several ISIS fighters were killed during the operation.
Source: NationalAccordNewspaper | Read the Full Story…
