How I escaped police siege – Saraki

Nigerian Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Tuesday gave the account of how security operatives laid siege to his house.

Men of the Nigerian police early on Tuesday morning laid siege on the homes of Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu in Abuja.

The move was said to prevent the duo from making it to the National Assembly today because of a plan by many lawmakers to decamp from Nigeria ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Saraki was, however, allowed to exit his residence thinking he was going to honour the police invitation.

Saraki, appeared to the Senate chamber at about 10:40 a.m. and presided over the plenary while Ekweremadu did not make it to plenary and the siege on his home was still on as at noon.

“As we are speaking, our DSP cannot leave the house. We must save this democracy,” Saraki said during plenary.

Relaying his experience on the siege on his home and that of his deputy, Saraki said the plenary would not have held if not for his preparation.

“The road leading to my place was cordoned off and all cars coming in and out as early as 6:30 were being stopped and you have to come down.

“My convoy was stopped from moving. Given something that one was prepared for, I had my own car too. So the deputy senate president called me and said he could not come here.

“And as you are all aware, very late yesterday, at about 8 p.m., I received a letter asking me to report to the police on a case of this Offa robbery which had been concluded before now.

“That’s the situation why the DSP could not come here and I was already going somewhere else. If not, this plenary would not have been able to hold today. So I had to come here.”
Mr Saraki condemned the siege saying it was God that made him escape it.

“But as you all rightly said, if one of our colleagues cannot come out for no fault of his, I don’t see how we can continue to sit and ignore the fact that a presiding officer cannot be here.

“And if it was by the plan, I too, would not be here.

“It was just by the intervention of the almighty God that I was able to get myself here.”

Saraki eventually presided over the Senate and announced the defection of 15 senators away from the APC and as well the adjournment of the plenary to September 25, 2018.