National Assembly Invasion: Senate Committee Seeks Sanction Of Six Officers

By Chris Nomjov

The Upper Legislative Chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate has asked the Nigerian Force headquarters to sanction six officers, for their involvement in last year’s  National Assembly invasion by security officers, who denied some members of the House of Reps, entry into the House Chambers.

The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Special Senate Committee which investigated the circumstances that surrounded the invasion of the National Assembly by the Police on November 20 last year, has recommended stiffer punishment for all the six security personnel indicted in the unfortunate development.

The committee submitted its report on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday but no date had been fixed for its deliberation.

A member of the committee told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Thursday that the report recommended, among others, heavy sanctions against six top police officers in the Federal Capital Territory Command who were indicted.

The senator added that the six high ranking police officers who were indicted over their direct involvement in the act were recommended for outright demotion by the Police Service Commission.

He said, “We recommended demotion among other punishments for all the officers, numbering about six, who were directly involved in the shameful act.”

It will be recalled that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and some federal lawmakers were locked out of the complex on November 20 last year, after a futile attempt to stop Tambuwal by firing tear gas canisters at him and his colleagues failed.

The Police had said that it acted on security reports that the National Assembly would be invaded by thugs on the day when lawmakers were to either ratify or reject President Goodluck Jonathan’s extension of emergency rule in the north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

The Senate leadership, after an extensive debate on the issue on the floor, set up a committee, led by Makarfi, the Chairman of its Finance Committee, to probe the circumstances that led to the invasion and report back in two weeks.

Members of the Makarfi’s committee that handled the investigation are Senators Atiku Abubakar Bagudu; Victor Lar; Gbenga Sefiu Kaka; Paulinus Igwe, Jubrilla Bindowo and Ehigie Edobor.

There was a mild drama during the probe when the Divisional Police Officer attached to the Federal Parliament, Mr. James Ndachaba, said the police officers from the FCT Command were not responsible for the tear gas cannister thrown at Tambuwal.