National Assembly has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to ensure the return of the Senate's mace within twenty-four hours.
The protesters which on Wednesday, April 18, stormed the Senate chamber and stole the mace. The alleged thugs were supporters of a suspended senator, Ovie Omo-Agege. The thugs left the National Assembly with the mace in a black SUV. The mace is the symbol of authority in the parliament.
A security personnel at the entrance of the National Assembly, said he was told by the protesters they were officers with the senator. “We tired to stop them but they told us they were with him (Omo-Agege),” he said. The Senate spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in a statement issued after the incident, said that the Senate resumed plenary about 15 minutes after coming out of an executive (closed door) session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon.
He said: "The Senate has resumed plenary about 15 minutes ago after coming out of an executive (closed door) session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon. "The session is holding with the mace, the official symbol of authority firmly in place, and deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, presiding.
The Senate also decided that it will get to the roots of this sad assault on democracy and an obvious act of treason which the seizure of the mace by some armed hoodlums represents. "The Senate has mandated the Inspector General of Police, 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.
"At the moment, some House of Representatives members led by deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun, are in the Senate chambers in solidarity visits. The session is presently live on NTA Channel 10.
"We are determined to conclude all matters slated on the Order Paper for today, even if it means us sitting until 6pm."
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