Reps seek protection of security agents, informants

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed for second reading a bill for an act to protect the identity of national security agencies’ officers, agents, sources, informants from unlawful disclosure and protect their establishments, facilities and equipment against unauthorised access.

The bill sponsored by Honourable Oluwole Oke sought protection for security officers to perform their work optimally.

According to him, security personnel no longer have the confidence to carry out their duties because they feel not protected by the law as it ought to be, saying that there was need for lives of these personnel to be protected so as to boost their confidence.

Supporting the bill, Honourable Nkiruika Onyejiocha said that, “If we support this Bill they will have confidence in doing their work and it will help us fight against insurgency and insecurity currently witnessed in the country.”

While Honourable Segun Odebunmi said that, “We are moving forward technologically and so there is need for us to review our laws on that. If the bill is passed into law every Nigerian will be confident enough to give information about crime.”

Also, Honourable Olatoye Temitope Sugar, however, suggested that there should be appropriate sanction for informants with fake information.

The lawmaker corroborated his argument with his recent experience with officials of Department of States Security, saying that there was a fictitious petition that was written to the DSS against him and he was invited after which the DSS discovered that the allegations were false.

The bill scaled through second reading when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker of the House, Honourable Yakubu Dogara.