The House of Representatives has announced that its entire plenary session on Thursday will be devoted to a national debate on Nigeria’s escalating security challenges.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas made the disclosure during yesterday’s sitting, emphasizing that the growing scale and spread of violence across the country demands urgent and coordinated action from both lawmakers and security agencies.

The announcement followed Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda’s attempt to move a motion on the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the killing of a senior military officer. Abbas declined the motion, noting that Thursday had already been set aside for a comprehensive deliberation on security issues.

“We are deeply saddened by these unfortunate incidents,” Abbas said. “I announced earlier that we will dedicate the whole of Thursday to security-related matters, and this particular event is one of the reasons behind our decision.”

The Speaker called on security agencies to intensify operations and reassess strategies in response to rising threats. “I call on all security agencies to please step up all actions and strategies to ensure the lives and properties of Nigerians are secured,” he said.

Abbas also directed lawmakers to attend Thursday’s session fully prepared with detailed security reports from their constituencies. “Every member is invited to make submissions on insecurity in his state or constituency. Thursday will give us the opportunity to hear, in detail, all the security issues bedevilling our constituencies and our states,” he added.