The senate has pointed fingers at the suspended senator representing Delta Central, Mr. Ovie Omo-Agege in today’s invasion of the senate by thugs suspected to be loyal to him.
In a statement after the incident, senate spokesperson, Sabi Abdullahi, described the invasion as an “act of treason.”
“Today, some armed hoodlums led by suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, walked into the senate plenary and seized the symbol of authority of the Upper Legislative Chamber, the mace.
“This action is an act of treason, as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force, and it must be treated as such. All security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilise their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act.
“This action is also an affront on the legislature, and the leadership of the House has come to express their support against this action.
“The Senate has mandated the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Kpotum Ibrahim and Director General of the State Security Services (SSS), Mallam Lawan Daura, to retrieve the mace stolen by the hoodlums within 24 hours,” said Abdullahi.
The hoodlums stormed the upper legislative house today and disrupted a plenary presided over by the deputy senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and escaped with the mace despite the presence of security men and the sergeant-at-arms.
One of the security personnel at the entrance of the National Assembly said the thugs told him and other officers they were with the senator.
“We tried to stop them but they told us they were with him (Omo-Agege),” he said.
The senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki is currently away in Washington attending the World Bank/IMF meetings.
Omo-Agege, who was suspended by the Senate last week, was said to have been spotted in the chamber thus fueling speculations that they were sponsored by him.
He was said to have sneaked in through one of the glass barricades within the national assembly complex.
The hoodlums that allegedly accompanied him escaped from the chamber with the mace and fled in a black SUV.
The mace is the symbol of authority in the senate and no plenary sessions can legitimately take place in its absence from the chamber.
