Members of the House of Representatives have commenced the process of preventing the indiscriminate leak of classified information to the public.
The PUNCH reported that the Green Chamber on Thursday resolved to create a Joint Committee on National Security Intelligence, Information Technology and Defence with a mandate to carry out a forensic data storage, data protection and flow of information of all security agencies, and to inspect the level of data security operated by some of the agencies.
The focus of the committee include the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Identity Management Commission and other data collection agencies.
The House resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Adedeji Olajide, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Oyo State, who noted that the rate at which classified and confidential documents find their ways to the public domain and the social media was worrisome, and urged the House to put in place measures to address the development.
He said, “Our security agents are being attacked by bandits while going for rapid response due to leak of information and national security is also compromised.
“The flow of unauthorized classified information and documents to the public domain is now almost at the discretions of government official; the rate at which classified information’s spread on the social media is disturbing.”
Describing the development as a national security concern in need of urgent intervention, the lawmaker added that even top security chiefs had at one time or the other, spoken out about it.
“If the Chief of the Army Staff decries the leakage of classified documents appearing on social media, then there is a serious issue at our hand as a nation and its our duty as legislators to call for forensic investigation of all our security agencies,” he added.
He further added that data leakages in the public sectors portrays the government in bad light, weakens the action plan and undermines the national security of the nation.
