Finally, Police Seal off Kogi Assembly Complex
Finally, Police Seal off Kogi Assembly Complex
Fully armed policemen today sealed off the Kogi
State House of Assembly complex on the order of the National Assembly following
unresolved leadership crisis rocking the state assembly as the main entrance to
the complex was blocked by heavily armed policemen.
The policemen also barred the factional members of
the of assembly who were billed to conduct ministerial budget defence from
entering the complex, as the road leading to the complex was also barricaded by
the security agents who subjected staff of the assembly to scrutiny and only
allowed them in upon confirmation of their employment status through their identity
cards.
One of the senior police officers who led the team
of armed policemen to the state assembly complex, ASP A. Adeniran, told journalists
that the directive came from the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon
Arase.
Adeniran said: “We were directed not to allow any
assembly member into this complex except the staffer of the complex who are allowed
in to perform their official duties."
Speaking on the situation, Mr. Aliyu Akuh, who is
the Deputy Speaker to the embattled Speaker of the state assembly, Mallam
Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, said the crisis remained unresolved, as earlier directive to
return to status quo ante by the House of Representatives was ignored by five
members.
According to him, it was an aberration for five out
of the then 20 members of the assembly to impeach the speaker on whom the
remaining 15 members had passed a vote of confidence on his leadership.
Akuh said the 15 members considered the action of
the minority five members as an infringement on the constitution of the country,
adding that in a developed democratic setting, such infringements must be
challenged.
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