The lawmaker representing Bayelsa East senatorial district, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, is worried about the security of the National Assembly and the Presidential Villa after the Senate was invaded on Wednesday.
Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, a legislator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), raised the concern during his appearance on News At 10, hours after suspected thugs disrupted proceedings at the Upper Chamber and made away with the mace.
He condemned the incident which he said involved the kidnap of one of his colleagues, stressing that it shows Nigeria has a serious security challenge.
READ ALSO: Police Recover Stolen Mace After Senate Invasion
“There is no way on earth they (the invaders) could have gotten into a car, kidnapped a senator, drove through multiple security points, escaped from the facility; we are next to the Villa. If the National Assembly complex is not safe, then the Villa certainly is not safe,” the lawmaker said.
“If people can get away with this on live TV, then we have a serious security problem in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If herdsmen can kill with no ramifications, kidnappers can pick you away with no ramifications, and the rich and the poor can get attacked the same way and there is no protection for anyone, then we are in a state of anarchy,” he added.
Unidentified Persons Invade Senate, Snatch Mace
How It Happened
Murray-Bruce, who is also the Senate Committee Deputy Chairman on Media and Publicity, further narrated how the ugly incident happened.
He accused the suspended senator representing Delta central, Ovie Omo-Agege, of leading the hoodlums into the chambers where they disrupted the ongoing plenary.
The lawmaker revealed that some members of the Senate had noted that they would not continue deliberations if Senator Omo-Agege who was on suspension was at the plenary.
He claimed the suspended lawmaker, on his part, vowed not to leave and forced his way into the chamber, although he was not asked to leave because the lawmakers do not want to create a scene.
Police Arrest Senator Omo-Agege Over Stolen Mace
The Deputy Chairman revealed further that the hoodlums took the mace away from the chamber and on their way out, they kidnapped a senator from Lagos State – Solomon Iyayi – who narrated his ordeal to the Red Chamber during a closed session.
Asked how sure he was about what he was saying, Murray-Bruce said, “He (Omo-Agege) was in front of me, I was the first person to approach the door. I walked towards the door and I was the one looking at him directly to his face.
“I looked at him and he had a gang of young men, there’s a bunch of cowboys besides him fighting his way through with a bunch of ladies blocking his path; and he walked his way through the ladies and the guys who were with him broke somebody’s leg and threw chairs around and tried to intimidate people.”
The lawmaker noted that everybody involved in the act was caught on tape while the incident lasted for at least four minutes.
He, however, decried that security operatives have yet to apprehend the culprits, wondering what the perpetrators aim to achieve by committing such crime.
Senator Omo-Agege Denies Involvement In Senate Invasion, Mace Theft
Earlier, the Senate had issued a statement shortly after the incident occurred, condemning the incident as an act of treason and an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force.
The police had also arrested Senator Omo-Agege, although the lawmaker has since denied any involvement in the theft of the mace and the invasion of the Upper House.
A statement from the police on Thursday, however, revealed that the stolen mace was found after the National Assembly ordered the heads of the police and the Department of State Service (DSS) to recover the mace within 24 hours.
According to the police, the hoodlums abandoned the mace at a point under the flyover before the City Gate in Abuja, where a passer-by saw it and alerted them.
