The police have returned the mace which was stolen from the Senate, about 24 hours after some hoodlums invaded the Red Chamber.
A top personnel of the force handed over the mace to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Sani Omolori, on Thursday at the assembly complex in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
At about noon on Wednesday, some hoodlums stormed the Upper House, disrupted proceedings and snatching the mace from the chamber.
READ ALSO: Police Recover Stolen Mace After Senate Invasion
The Red Chamber consequently issued a statement in which it condemned the incident as an act of treason and an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force.
It also accused the lawmaker representing Delta Central senatorial district, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, claiming he led the hoodlums to plenary to seize the symbol of authority of the Senate.
Senator Omo-Agege was later picked up by the police on the premises of the complex, although he has since denied any involvement in the theft of the mace and freed from police custody.
The leadership of the National Assembly subsequently issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the police and Department of State Service (DSS) to recover the stolen mace.
In line with the directive, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, immediately instituted an investigation team into the incident.
The police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spots, stop and search operations, as well as visibility and confidence-building patrols among other exercises in the nation’s capital.
This led to the discovery of the stolen mace by a passer-by at a point under the flyover in the nation’s capital, who alerted the police.
Hours later a top police officer handed the mace over to Omolori, Clerk of the National Assembly.
