‘Lawless’ Lawmakers Break Niger Assembly Gate To Remove Governor Aliyu

Confusion reigned on Tuesday in the Niger State House of Assembly complex in Minna as lawmakers broke the keys used by the police to lock the gate into the Assembly in order to stop the legislators’ alleged threat to impeach the state Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.

PUNCH Newspaper reports that the Police were said to have locked up the gate to the complex to foil the lawmakers bid to enter the chambers of the Assembly and stop the staff from going in or coming out of the House.

The move by the police, it was learnt, was to prevent the members from forming a quorum to move for the impeachment of the governor.

Some of the members of the Assembly, who were already in the chamber, stormed the gate in fury and ordered the most senior officer, guarding the gate, to open it for their colleagues, who were locked out.

But the Police Officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, whose name could not be ascertained, said he was not with the keys of the gate.

The lawmakers, after their effort to persuade the DSP to open the gate for those locked out failed to yield result, proceeded to break the padlock.

“Are we prisoners? Did we beat anyone? Did we cause riot? Why should you lock us in? These people are trying to create trouble when there is no trouble,” some of the members queried.

Our correspondent gathered that out of 27 members of the House, 21 were in the premises to begin the process of impeaching the Governor.

It was reliably gathered also that members were complaining of non-payment of severance allowances and payment of half salary since February this year.

The state government is alleged to be owing each member of the Assembly about N18m, though this figure could not be independently verified.