The Senate on Wednesday ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged
invasion of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly in Uyo by officers and men of
the Nigeria Police.
Its Committee on Police headed by Senator Tijani
Kaura (Zamfara North) has therefore been given a 48-hour ultimatum to urgently
look into the reported police seal up of the assembly and report back to the
Senate.
This is sequel to a motion moved by Senator Albert
Akpan (PDP-Akwa Ibom Northeast) on the development through Order 43 of the
Senate standing rules, alleging that the police action was meant to pave way
for the removal of the state Governor, Udom Emmanuel, from office.
Akpan
informed his colleagues that over 1, 500 policemen invaded the premises of the
House of Assembly in the early hours of yesterday and sealed it, thereby
preventing the lawmakers from carrying out their legislative duties.
According to him, reason for the police action is
still unclear, but warned that security agencies should not involve themselves
in partisan politics.
He therefore urged the upper legislative chamber to
direct the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, to order his men
out of the assembly complex so that the state lawmakers could have access to
their offices and the chamber and discharge their legislative functions.
"Mr. (Senate) President, I want this Senate to
direct the Committee on Police Affairs to investigate the police sealing off
the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. The Senate should first order the
vacation of the assembly complex by the police.
"According to what I heard, over 1, 500
policemen invaded and sealed the state House of Assembly this (yesterday) morning
and they're still there as I speak. I want my colleagues to know that a threat
to democracy in Akwa Ibom State is a threat to democracy in Nigeria," he
stressed.
Contributing, Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central)
described the sealing of the assembly as "a breach on principle of
democracy, clearly ambiguous and an aberration which should not be supported by
any senator because of politics."
He, therefore, urged the Senate to take a strong
position on the police action so as to send a serious signal to the security
agencies against interference in legislative functions.
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, therefore,
directed the Committee on Police Affairs to investigate the alleged sealing of
the assembly complex by the police in order to ascertain the reason for their
action.
He said: "What is wrong is wrong! It's wrong
for a parliament to be sealed by security agents. We should not be partisan
about it, but it's necessary we allow the Committee on Police Affairs to
investigate it because it's still an allegation by a member which should be
investigated."
He therefore mandated the Police Committee to
thoroughly investigate the allegation and report back to plenary within 48 hours
"after which the Senate can take action."
Akpan told journalists after plenary that five out
of 26 lawmakers in Akwa Ibom State, who claimed to have sacked the assembly
leadership, are trying to remove the governor by causing trouble through the police invasion in the state.
According to him, "There were no cases of
armed robbery, kidnappings and criminal activities in the state until the
defection of my leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, from Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC)."
The lawmaker said he had informed the Senate on the
alleged orchestrated plan by the APC to disrupt peace in the state ahead of
next year's general election.
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