NASS: Unknown persons invades Senate chambers, steals mace!
Wed Apr 18, 2018 02:47:pm National
5.1K By franklyn Anude
Three unidentified men on Wednesday, disrupted plenary session of the Senate, entering the chambers and making away with the mace of the house.
The men, who are believed to be associates of suspended senator Ovie Omo- Agege, entered the chamber, picked up the mace and left with it in a swoop that lasted less than two minutes.
Images of the incident showed the raucous and chaotic scene in the Senate chamber.
A spokesman for the upper house of the National Assembly, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi in a statement said: "Today, some hoodlums led by suspended senator Ovie Omo-Agege walked into the Senate plenary and seized the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber, the mace."
"This action is an act of treason, as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force, and it must be treated as such," Abdullahi said.
"All security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilize their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act."
Security at the National Assembly was heightened following the event.
The lower chambers of the National Assembly immediately condemned the incident. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, described the act as an attempt to undermine the nation's democracy.
Lawmakers from both the upper and lower issued an ultimatum to the Department of State Security and the Inspector General of Police to 24 hours to recover the mace stolen from the chamber earlier today, after plenary resumed using a spare ceremonial staff
The men, who are believed to be associates of suspended senator Ovie Omo- Agege, entered the chamber, picked up the mace and left with it in a swoop that lasted less than two minutes.
Images of the incident showed the raucous and chaotic scene in the Senate chamber.
A spokesman for the upper house of the National Assembly, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi in a statement said: "Today, some hoodlums led by suspended senator Ovie Omo-Agege walked into the Senate plenary and seized the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber, the mace."
"This action is an act of treason, as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force, and it must be treated as such," Abdullahi said.
"All security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilize their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act."
Security at the National Assembly was heightened following the event.
The lower chambers of the National Assembly immediately condemned the incident. Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, described the act as an attempt to undermine the nation's democracy.
Lawmakers from both the upper and lower issued an ultimatum to the Department of State Security and the Inspector General of Police to 24 hours to recover the mace stolen from the chamber earlier today, after plenary resumed using a spare ceremonial staff
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