Mace Stealing: Saraki Constitutes Joint NASS Investigative Committee

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, April 24th, 2018

ABUJA, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Senate has constituted a joint committee with the House of Representatives to investigate the April 18, 2018 invasion of the Upper Legislative Chamber by suspected political thugs.

President of the Senate Bukola Saraki announced this Tuesday at the plenary which held after a two-hour closed-door meeting with his colleagues.

Senate President confirmed that the Lawmakers have resolved to constitute a joint committee of the Senate and the House to investigate the incident of April 18 with a view to look at the factors that led to it.

Saraki said: “The committee will also make recommendations to ensure it does not happen again in any of the two chambers.

“We also mandated our committees on Security and Police to engage with the Director-General, Department of State Services and Inspector-General of Police to look at how to strengthen security of the National Assembly.

“This is to ensure that this kind of security lapses will not occur.”

He however commended the chamber’s staff for their gallantry and courageous actions taken during the invasion.

“I want to thank all of you and everybody – the Sergeant-at-Arms, all the team – for the work that you did, not only as individuals, but also for this institution and for the country at large.

“As we keep on saying, this institution or the legislature is the true representation of democracy; as long as we defend this legislature, you defend the democracy in this country. I thank all of you for the call to duty”.

While reiterating the need to tighten security within the precinct of the NASS, Saraki called on members of the public to cooperate with Lawmakers in ”this era that we have to definitely tighten the movement in the National Assembly”.

He admitted that there were some loopholes that needed to be tighten and in doing this, cooperation was essential.

The suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta central) was alleged to have sponsored some suspected hoodlums last week Wednesday to the NASS complex and in the end snatched the mace.

The symbol of authority was later discovered under a flyover in FCT Abuja by the Police and has since been returned last Friday.