Omo-Agege sues National Assembly, Saraki, IGP, AGF over mace saga

Representative of Delta Central senatorial district, Ovie Omo-Agege, had sued Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, over the probe of Senate’s invasion and removal of its mace.

Others included in the suit are Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, the National Assembly, chairman, ad-hoc investigative committee and Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah and other committee members.

The National Assembly had constituted an expanded committee made up of the Senate and House of Representatives members to unravel the circumstances behind the invasion of the upper chamber and snatching of its mace on April 18, 2018.

However, the panel had insisted on continuing its investigation to unravel the persons and circumstances that led to the incident.

This resulted when Omo-Agege appeared before the committee over his alleged involvement in the matter.

But the committee said his interrogation was necessary based on the separate statements made before it by security officers on duty that day, who disclosed that Omo-Agege prevailed on them to allow the hoodlums who stole the mace into the Senate.

They said: “When we wanted to stop them, Omo-Agege told us, leave them, they are with me.”

Meanwhile, the senator refused to answer questions put to him by the committee over the allegation, saying his response would amount to judicial prejudice.

He also cited senate order 53(5) and urged the committee to discontinue the probe. But the committee dismissed his argument as mere misrepresentation of facts of the house rules.

The committee also added that the mere fact that Omo-Agege displayed the legal document was not enough in law to stop the investigation.

It also cited section 62 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and insisted on its continuance.

But the Commissioner of Police, Abu Sani, who was accompanied by National Assembly’s Divisional Police Officer, Abdul Sulu-Gambri, confirmed to the committee that the police had arrested and detained five of the six suspects who attacked the Senate.

He also disclosed that the suspects have in their individual statements, admitted that Omo-Agege led them into the Senate chamber.

But the committee was not satisfied with the manner of investigation being carried out by the police, especially as the remaining and main suspect who took away the mace had not been arrested.