After a bomb blast at the Emab Plaza in Abuja on Wednesday, the Nigerian Senate said the sole motives of the terrorists were to break the spirit of Nigerians and instil fear through acts of mass murder and destruction of property.
Days after the daring attack that killed 24 people and injured many, no one seems to be claiming responsibility for it.
In its plenary, the Senate condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric.
Senate President David Mark asked security operatives not to be deterred by the development but be strengthened to face the challenges of protecting lives and property.
The deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, asked Nigerians to stand firm and united in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
Meanwhile, it was also a sad day in the Senate during the week as lawmakers held a valedictory session in honour of the late senator Dahiru Kuta.
The Senate recommended that the headquarters of the Hydro-electric Power Producing Areas development Commission (HYPADEC) be named after late Senator Dahiru Kuta.
Federal lawmakers described Senator Kuta as a patriotic and selfless legislator who represented his people diligently and left a huge gap not only in the Senate but the in nation.
During the week also, the House of Representatives asked its Committees on Defence, Army, Police, Public Safety and Interior to investigate the alleged harassment of the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, by security operatives on Monday in Kaduna State.
The Speaker was reportedly harassed by security agents at the entrance of a hotel in Kaduna, venue of an international conference organised by the office of the National Security Adviser.
Federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives were not amused by the incident.
It was the first full session by the House of Representatives after their two week recess and the alleged harassment of the speaker of the by some security operatives in Kaduna State, a matter raised as a motion of urgent national importance.
The speaker maintained that no lawmaker was above the law but said it was important to protect the institution of the legislature and not the individuals that are constituted in the Nigerian legislature.
The House of Representatives also summoned the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over the new capital base of 35 million Naira set for Bureaux Des Changes operators by the apex bank.
Lawmakers expressed worries that the new policy would send most of the operators out of business and asked the apex bank to suspend the new policy which members tagged elitist.
Just on Monday, 26 June, the Central Bank of Nigeria reviewed its guidelines on the operations of Bureaux Des Changes BDCs which includes an increase in minimum capital requirement for operation from the current 10 million Naira to 35 million, effective from the 15 July.
The apex bank’s reasons for the review was to correct observed deficiencies in the operation of BDCS in Nigeria which they say have led to sharp practices in the foreign exchange market; check the depletion of external reserves, financing of unauthorised transactions and dollarization, among others.