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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has dissolved all its Adhoc Committees with immediate effect, citing the expiration of the period given to them to complete their assignments and submit their reports.

The directive was issued by the Clerk of the House, Sidi Ibrahim, on the instruction of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.

In a statement addressed to chairmen and members of all Adhoc Committees, Ibrahim said the dissolution followed repeated calls for the committees to conclude their assignments and submit their reports in line with the Standing Orders and established practice of the House.

He said: “I am directed by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, to inform all Honourable Members that all Ad Hoc Committees of the House stand dissolved with immediate effect.”

The Clerk said only two Adhoc Committees had sought and obtained extensions after earlier announcements directing committees to conclude their assignments.

“This directive is sequel to earlier announcements urging Ad Hoc Committees to conclude their assignments and submit their reports in line with the Rules and established practice of the House. Following those announcements, only two Ad Hoc Committees sought and were granted extension of time in compliance with Order Eighteen Rule 5 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. The two-week extension granted has since elapsed”, he added.

He reminded lawmakers that Adhoc Committees were established for specific purposes and within defined periods, stressing that they were not designed to operate indefinitely.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Honourable Members are reminded that Ad Hoc Committees are temporary Committees of the House established for specific and time-bound mandates. They are not intended to subsist indefinitely beyond the purpose and period for which they were constituted”, he said.

Ibrahim further cited Order Eighteen, Rule 11, Paragraph 5 of the Standing Orders, which sets out limitations on the time within which committees are expected to submit their reports.

“In accordance with Order Eighteen, Rule 11, Paragraph 5, of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives which provides for ‘Limitations as to time of Reports’, Committees are required to submit their reports within the time allotted. Having exceeded the time allotted, the continued existence of the Ad Hoc Committees is no longer tenable”, he stated.

The dissolution took effect from Friday, 28 August 2026, with the Clerk directing all affected committees to immediately stop operating in their respective capacities.

Chairmen of the dissolved committees were also directed to hand over outstanding reports and other documents relating to their assignments.

“Consequently, with effect from Friday 28th August 2026, all Ad Hoc Committees of the House stand dissolved; and activities being carried out in the name of such Committees shall cease forthwith.

“Chairmen of the affected Committees are directed to forward all outstanding reports, working documents, records, and other materials relating to their assignments to the Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives for safekeeping.

“Honourable Members are kindly requested to take note and ensure strict compliance, please”, he stressed.

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A retired Nigerian Army Major General, Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, has queried Defence Minister, Christopher Musa over his recent comments on former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing the remarks as politically motivated.

Ali-Keffi, a former General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, also cautioned senior military officers against being drawn into partisan disputes, arguing that statements by generals could easily be interpreted as reflecting the position of the military establishment.

Speaking in an interview with SaharaReporters, the retired officer said serving and former military commanders should exercise restraint when commenting on politically sensitive issues.

Ali-Keffi said, “Generals should be very careful how we comment on political issues. We are not professional politicians. I mean, we should leave politics for politicians.

“Our words carry a lot of weight. Our words are listened to by so many people, right? So we should be very careful.

“He alleged, that is CG Musa alleged, that El-Rufai paid bandits. How? You have facts? Present it! Why are you keeping it? Present it!

“I am really disappointed in what the Minister of Defence and my erstwhile friend, I should say, General CG Musa, has done.”

Drawing from his period as GOC 1 Division, Ali-Keffi disputed claims that El-Rufai prevented troops from taking action against armed groups in Kaduna.

He said he never received instructions from the former governor to spare criminal elements on the basis of ethnicity.

“El-Rufai never negotiated with bandits. El-Rufai never prevailed on us military people while I was the General Officer Commanding not to carry out operations against the Fulani. In fact, he said criminal Fulani person should not be spared!” he said.

Ali-Keffi maintained that his experience working with the Kaduna State Government was different from the picture painted by Musa.

According to him, military personnel conducted clearance operations in several parts of Kaduna while El-Rufai was governor, with the state government providing intelligence to assist security agencies.

The retired officer singled out Samuel Aruwan, who handled Kaduna’s internal security portfolio under El-Rufai, for what he described as regular cooperation with military commanders.

He said Aruwan maintained communication with security officials and supplied intelligence useful to military operations.

Ali-Keffi also recalled contacting El-Rufai ahead of some clearance operations to request that residents be warned to avoid areas where troops would be deployed.

According to him, the former governor initially questioned the need for such warnings because he believed people remaining in some forests were assisting criminals.

Ali-Keffi said he nevertheless explained that the military had an obligation to minimise civilian deaths and other collateral damage.

He claimed El-Rufai eventually accepted the military’s position and did not interfere with the operations.

Ali-Keffi also questioned the timing of Musa’s criticism, suggesting that the defence minister chose to speak after El-Rufai had lost some of the political influence he wielded while in government.

He further stated, “Where’s your chivalry? The man is down. Why didn’t he say that when [he] was gone up? He didn’t have the liver, no stomach.

“That to me is far-fetched. That to me is plain politics, and cheap politics at that matter.”

He warned that military officers risked damaging their professional standing when they became openly involved in political disagreements.

Despite defending El-Rufai against Musa’s allegations, Ali-Keffi said his position should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the former governor’s entire record in office.

He recalled having his own disagreement with the former Kaduna governor, including the demolition of a property he said belonged to him at the National Eye Centre area in Mando.

“I would not have said these things I am saying but it is very unfair for the Minister of Defence Christopher Musa to have gone after El-Rufai, I don’t support some of the things that El-Rufai did, no,” he added.

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The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), on Thursday said terrorists are using motorcycles given to Nigerians as palliatives to wreak havoc across the country.

He, however, advised the state governors and lawmakers to stop giving motorcycles as palliatives, arguing that some of the motorcycles eventually end up in the hands of terrorists to facilitate and enhance their nefarious activities.

Musa, who stated this when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said efforts are being made to curb terrorism and the operational challenges confronting the country’s security forces.

“We try to appeal to even governors to stop giving motorcycles out as palliatives. Because these motorcycles are the same ones that still end up with these terrorists.

“Even if you have to give, don’t give them the big capacity motorcycles; give them the small capacity ones that they won’t be able to use to run around, because that gives them leverage. They can easily enter and then disappear,” he said.

The minister also warned that motorcycles distributed through constituency projects and other palliative programmes by lawmakers could find their way back to bandits and terrorists.

“Those bikes… before you know it, they’re already back to the bandits, and that’s what they’re using. So we must stop that,” he said.

According to him, security agencies had identified illegal markets and motor parks as channels through which terrorists move arms and ammunition into areas where they operate.

“What we realise from experience is they establish illegal markets or illicit motor parks. They go to those motor parks; that’s where they move arms and ammunition into those areas,” he added