The Senate on Thursday expressed concern over the incessant
cases of burglary in the offices of lawmakers and destruction of valuables,
including cars, in the National Assembly.
It therefore resolved to logically investigate the
incidents and collapse of the Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) within
the premises of the assembly.
This was sequel to a motion moved to that effect by
Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) over the burglary of her office and a
member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Muhammed Gausu Boyi, representing
Ringim/Taura federal constituency in Jigawa State.
Raising the motion through Order 43 of the Senate
Standing Rules, Tinubu said the burglary incident, which was discovered by her
legislative aide on January 9, has made her uncomfortable in the office going
by the items carted away.
According to her, though the items carted away by
the burglars are law reform books and some electronic devices, thorough
investigation needs to be carried out by the management of the National
Assembly and in particular, the leadership of the Senate as regards the real
motive of the burglars.
According to her, "I have been in the Senate
for the past eight years. Usually, we know what happens when we are on break, and
that’s when a lot of things happened. We came back and didn't find television.
"But this time, the occurrence is worrisome
because this is the time we are all going for election, and right now, I don't
feel safe in my office."
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who
presided over plenary, however, informed the senator that burglary incident
that took place in her office was not an isolated matter, as offices of some
other lawmakers were also burgled almost at the same time.
According to him, apart from the burglary incidents
carried out in offices of some serving lawmakers at both chambers, a former senator
also reported how his car was vandalised and the money left in the car stolen
within the premises of the National Assembly.
He regretted that after the case was reported to
the National Assembly security, they checked the footages of the CCTV cameras
in the complex only to find out that the cameras were not working.
Ekweremadu expressed concern that after huge sums
of public funds were invested in the provision of the CCTV, when the need to
use them arises, they will become useless, meaning that public funds have been
wasted.
He however pointed out that the Senate would not
replace the stolen items in the office of the senator until the investigations
have been completed to ascertain the rationale behind the burglary.
Ekweremadu, therefore, called on the management of
the National Assembly to be up and doing in their responsibilities, just as he
assured her that the issue is already being investigated and that the Senate
will come out with the true picture of what happened within two weeks of the
incident.
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