The Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly, Etido Ekpo, has announced new security restrictions around the office of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, ahead of the legislature’s resumption from recess.
In a memo dated October 2, retired Brigadier-General Ekpo directed that the corridor linking the White House lobby to the Senate President’s office will now be reserved strictly for lawmakers, including Senators and members of the House of Representatives.
The memo explicitly stated that aides and personal assistants will no longer be permitted access to the passage.
“You are kindly requested to disseminate this information to distinguished senators who would, in turn, intimate their aides or personal assistants as appropriate,” the notice read.
Ekpo said the decision was taken in the interest of maintaining a “secure and safe environment” for legislative business within the complex.
The National Assembly is expected to resume plenary on October 7, following more than two months of recess that began in July.
The restriction is likely to prompt conversation among staffers and legislative aides, many of whom have routine duties that require close access to principal officers and their offices.
No further details were provided on whether the restriction is temporary or part of a broader security review within the National Assembly complex.
The Senate President’s office is typically one of the most heavily guarded areas in the National Assembly complex, but until now, legislative aides had relatively free access.
