Where are the Senate invaders?

ALMOST two weeks after the outrageous invasion of a plenary session of the Senate by a group of hoodlums, the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, and the Directorate of State Services, DSS, are yet to apprehend the perpetrators of what amounts to a coup against our democracy.

The Police was only able to recover the Mace which they took away. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the suspended legislator  linked with the drama, only spent a brief moment with the law enforcement agents and was allowed to go home. Media houses have been inundating the Police with calls to know why they have not been nabbed despite the fact that the names of five of the eight suspects who hail from Warri North, Warri South, Ethiope East, Ethiope West and Ughelli South Local Government Areas of Delta State, have been all over the social media.

Though the IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris, had mandated the Inspector-General’s Monitoring Unit to investigate the theft and apprehend the culprits, we are surprised that nothing in that direction has been achieved yet. To make matters worse, IGP Idris chose to send a representative to the Senate instead of appearing personally to answer relevant questions on the Senate invasion.

If the Police top cop had honoured that invitation, he would have explained to puzzled Nigerians why the hoodlums were able to beat all the elaborate security checks in the National Assembly to storm the highest law-making chamber in the land, smashing security gadgets and injuring the Sergeant-at-Arms, Mrs. Sandra Davou. She was the only security personnel who dared to challenge the invaders. Others just watched while it lasted and only reappeared after the thugs had sped off.

The serial failures of the Police and the security agencies in recent times to respond to the demands of their duties are difficult to understand. Our law enforcement agencies seem unable to protect our people from armed killers. The successful and unchallenged invasion of the Senate leaves us wondering whether it is a question of incapacity or, perhaps, those who allege that elements of our law-enforcement agents have become partial in the ongoing power-play between the National Assembly and the Presidency, may have a point after all.

Otherwise, we cannot see how the invasion could have succeeded while the culprits remain at large from the law till date.

Irrespective of what we think of the members of the Legislature, whether at the federal or state level, they represent the people. The invasion of the Senate was a flagrant violation of our democracy. We are outraged and demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of the culprits. All officials who failed to stop the invaders must be firmly sanctioned, no matter how highly placed.

 

The post Where are the Senate invaders? appeared first on Vanguard News.

source https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/04/where-are-the-senate-invaders/