Senate bars journalists, quizzes minister over rising insecurity

The Senate Friday quizzed the Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (retd), over rising cases of banditry and kidnapping in the country.

The minister appeared before the Senate Committee on Defence to defend the ministry’s 2022 fiscal estimates.

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Journalists were asked to leave the venue as the committee began to query the minister.

During the budget defence, the minister said the ministry earmarked N1.52billion (77 per cent) of its overhead votes in 2022 to the Presidential Guard Brigade. 

The brigade comprised of a group of Nigerian soldiers who guard the residence of the president and his guests, as well as perform ceremonial duties.  

Magashi said out of the N2.076bn earmarked for the ministry’s overhead cost in 2022, the Brigade of Guards got N1.520bn, while the remaining N556.4 million was for the ministry.   

Other components of the N21.672 bn for the 2022 fiscal year as explained by the minister are N15.481bn for personnel and N4.115bn for capital.