The Senate has confirmed receipt of the snatched mace, which was recovered and returned by the police.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, made the confirmation in his opening address at the plenary, yesterday.
Ekweremadu said the Senate would insist on the arrest and prosecution of the suspects, saying that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, would be invited to brief the lawmakers next week on their investigation of the crime.
The Deputy Senate President wondered how the thugs crossed the gates, beat the security operatives on duty, and successfully made away with the mace.
However, there is a huge presence of security operatives in and around the National Assembly Complex, yesterday, following the invasion of the Senate chamber with snatching of the mace by thugs, last Wednesday.
Apart from the presence of more policemen, soldiers were also deployed to guard the premises.
The sergeants-at-arms also conducted stricter checks on workers and guests going in.
Some soldiers and policemen stationed at the lobby adjoining the Senate and House of Representatives’ chambersý had a brief argument over their responsibilities in the protection of the area.
The Divisional Police Officer of the National Assembly Division, Mr. A Sulu-Gambari, however, intervened in the matter and resolved the conflict.
The lobby was later cordoned off.
Earlier, the Nigerian police have returned the mace stolen by some hoodlums from the Senate on Wednesday.
The mace which was recovered by the police later, last Wednesday, after it was abandoned by the hoodlums, was brought back by the DIG operations, Joshak Habila.
He handed it over to the chief security officer of the National Assembly, who then passed it to the Sergeant-at-Arms.
The mace has been taken into the chambers, said media adviser to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu,.
It was learnt that the hoodlums who sensationally stole the Senate mace, last Wednesday, abandoned it under the flyover before the Abuja City Gate, the police said early yesterday.
The police said they were informed by a passerby, who saw it and alerted them, leading to its recovery.
The police said they were still in pursuit of the mace thieves and would ensure that they are brought to justice.
“While a discreet investigation into the incident is still ongoing to arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Nigeria Police Force appreciates the spirited members of the public, most especially motorists within Abuja Metropolis for their support, cooperation and timely information during the rigorous stop and search operations for the recovery of the mace,” said the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Aremu Adeniran.
Adeniran’s statement mentioned the efforts by the police teams, prior to the recovery of the mace.
“IGP Ibrahim Idris immediately instituted a high-powered Police Investigation and Intelligence Team coordinated by the IGP Monitoring Unit of the Force and further directed a total lock-down of the Federal Capital Territory with intense surveillance patrol and thorough Stop and Search Operations at various Police check-points with a view to arresting perpetrators and possible recovery of the stolen mace.
“The Police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spots/flashpoints, stop and search operations, visibility and confidence building patrols, intelligence gathering which forced the suspected miscreants to abandon the Mace at a point under the flyover before the City Gate, where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the Police”.
Meanwhile, the embattled Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has denied having anything to do with last Wednesday’s invasion of the senate chambers and the removal of the mace.
The senator representing Delta Central has also been released by the police.
The Senate Chamber was, last Wednesday, invaded by some persons who made away with the mace.
Shortly after the mace was stolen, the Senate accused Omo-Agege of sending thugs to steal the mace.
But Omo-Agege, in his reaction, denied involvement in the theft of the mace.
He said he has also left police custody.
A statement by a legal practitioner for the office of the senator, Mr. Lucky Ajokperniovo, said that he only went to the Red Chamber, last Wednesday, to resume work and sit for plenary.
He added that he was only invited by the police to speak about his perspective on the incident.
“We are aware of several media reports suggesting that Senator Omo-Agege personally removed or encouraged anyone to remove the mace of the Senate. This weighty allegation is not true at all.
“Following the said media reports on the mace issue, the police authorities decided to hear from Senator Omo-Agege.
He has told the Police his perspective to help them carry out a proper investigation. He has since left the Police.
Senator Omo-Agege trusts them to thoroughly investigate this very serious matter,” the statement read in part.
Omo-Agege also reacted to the statement by the Senate Spokesperson, Senator Abdullahi Sabi accusing him of leading the hoodlums to cart away the mace.
Omo-Agege described the allegation as ‘very serious’.
“We are carefully studying Senator Sabi’s allegations to ascertain their full ramifications.
Appropriate responses will follow, as may be necessary,” Omo-Agege’s statement read.
The mace which is the symbol of authority of the Senate was on Wednesday, snatched by some unidentified men.
The men barged into the Chamber of the Senate; during plenary, pushed away the Sergeant-at-Arms positioned at the entrance and carted away the mace.
The drama coincided with the protest at the National Assembly against the suspension of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, APC -Delta Central.
Spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, accused Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of masterminding the snatching of the mace.
He described the action as an attempt to overthrow an arm of government, and insisted it amounted to treason.
Meanwhile,the leadership of National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has condemned in strong terms, the show of shame at the National Assembly where unknown men invaded the Senate and made away with the Mace.
The students’ body described the act as a national disgrace, stating that they (Senate) has “successfully depressed, disappointed and discouraged millions of Nigeria students.”
NAPS queried the presence of a suspended senator, Ovie Omo-Agege at the plenary just before the Mace snatching incident, they charged the government to revisit the entire security personnel deployed to the Senate Chamber.
While speaking with our correspondent, the President, Comrade Mohammed Eneji and the Public Relations Officer of the association, Comrade Ijaduoye Olasukanmi said: “As Nigerians, we are shocked to hear the incident at the Senate on Wednesday that some thugs invaded the Senate chamber during plenary at 11.30am and made away with the mace.
“How could that happen? It’s is with great shock that just 3 men could invade the Senate Chamber, disrupt the plenary and take away the sign of authority which is called the mace.
“Professor Wole Soyinka once described his generation as a frustrated and wasted one, the set of senators in the Nigerian Senate fall under the same generation with him”.
We are having more reason to believe that the Legislative arm of the government is a waste of time, money and resources.
“NAPS as a body refuse to regard the 109 senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as leaders, mentors or personality to look up to if they continue like this. We watched the video carefully; we analysed it and came to a conclusion that we do not have leaders in the Senate but cabals.
The students’ leaders added that “We once again call on the Federal Government to revisit its security architecture across the country. Well, thugs’ invasion is our gain from a government who couldn’t invest in education and budgeted less than 10 per cent on education. Yesterday’s incident was evidence that whatever module the government is using has only brought negative change to the country.
“It is unfortunate that the entire security personnel deployed to Senate Chamber have become spectators who allow thugs to operate with so much confidence and efficiency. This is the lowest we can ever go as a country,” they said.
Similarly, the Enugu State House of Assembly, yesterday, demanded the immediate sack of all Service Chiefs in Nigeria.
Our correspondent reports that the lawmakers made the demand at plenary where they unanimously condemned the invasion of the Senate chambers, Wednesday, by thugs who took away the mace.
They said all heads of security agencies should be sacked because of laxity in security, not only in the Senate but the entire nation.
The legislators came under a motion of public importance brought before the plenary on the floor of the House by the member representing Ezeaugu Constituency, Hon. Chima Obieze, supported by four other members, urging the House to pass a resolution condemning the act.
They called on other houses of assembly in Nigeria to follow suit and condemn the act, which was viewed as a slap on democracy.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Edward Ubosi while thanking his colleagues for their contribution to the motion, said that what happened was a big disgrace to the nation and called on Mr. President to effect change in the security chiefs who he passed vote of no confidence on.
“I want to thank my colleagues for their contributions. What happened is a disgrace to the nation.”
“As far as I am concerned, the security heads are not performing. The President should try some other people,” he averred and lamented that democracy seemed to be at variance with anarchy.
“There is a serious war between democracy and anarchy in the land,” he said.
Ubosi expressed fears that as things stood in Nigeria, using votes to change a government might not be possible because insecurity was capable of jeopardising democracy.
Mover of the motion, Hon. Obieze, while presenting the motion, had expressed similar fears that if what was appening now was not roundly condemned by all, Nigeria might be heading for disintegation.
“Mr. Speaker, the ship of the state called Nigeria is heading towards the rock and if we, elected lawmakers, as crusaders of democracy refuse to fight for our dear country, then I am afraid darker days may just be ahead of us,” he stated.
Making her own contribution, Hon. Lydia Nkechi-Omeje Ogbu representing Nsukka West, likened what happened at the Senate and what was happening in Nigeria to a war situation.
She lamented that IDPs camps were growing by the day.
“I am highly concerned about what happened yesterday. I am a woman and we women and children suffer a lot when there is trouble in the land. We are at war. There are IDPs everywhere. People are killed in Taraba, Benue, Borno, etc.
“Since this government came to power, there has been lawlessness in the land. The service chiefs should not be concentrated in one section of the land,” she noted.