Akpabio Reshuffles Senate Security Committees, Names New Heads

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

In a decisive move to strengthen legislative oversight of Nigeria’s security architecture, Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday unveiled new leadership across four key Senate committees, marking the latest phase of an ongoing security-sector shake-up within the upper chamber.

Announcing the changes at plenary, Akpabio appointed Senator Shehu Buba (Bauchi South) as the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, a sector increasingly linked to national security and rural stability.

Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North) was named Chairman of the Committee on National Intelligence and National Security, one of the Senate’s most sensitive oversight assignments as the country continues to battle complex security threats.

He also designated Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West) as Acting Chairman of the Committee on Air Force, while Senator Musa Mustapha (Yobe East) was announced as the new Chairman of the Committee on National Planning.

The latest appointments come barely a week after the Senate, in an unprecedented move on November 26, dissolved its Committees on National Security & Intelligence and the Air Force following a motion by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.

The dissolution formed part of a broader directive mandating all security-related committees, including those on Army, Navy, Defence, Interior and Police Affairs, to submit comprehensive reports of their oversight activities within one week and appear before the Senate in a closed session.

The restructuring is seen as a signal of the Senate’s resolve to tighten control, demand greater accountability, and realign parliamentary oversight with the evolving security challenges confronting the nation.

With the new committee heads now in place, attention turns to how swiftly they will respond to the Senate’s renewed push for transparency and effectiveness within Nigeria’s security institutions.