A group under the aegis of Nasarawa Stakeholders Forum have stormed the police headquarters protesting against the state Commissioner of Police Maiyaki Baba, over interfering in the internal affairs of house of assembly.
The forum in a petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba and signed by its convener and Secretary, David Manga and Ibrahim Saidu, respectively, on Wednesday in Abuja alleged that the Nasarawa State CP, failed to provide security for the principal officers of the state house of assembly.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the immediate past speaker, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi and
Daniel Ogah Ogazi both emerged as speakers from two different gatherings on Tuesday June 6.
According to the petition:
“Inauguration of the state House of Assembly was scheduled to take place on the 6th day of June, 2023 at 10: am at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Complex in Lafia.
“Sequel to the issuance of the said Proclamation, and in line with the provisions of Section 92(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, election into the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker were held at the hallowed Chambers of the State House of Assembly where Rt. Hon. Daniel Ogazi (Kokona East State Constituency) won with 13 Votes representing a majority of lawful votes to defeat Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, the immediate Past Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly while Hon. Muhammad Oyanki from Doma State constituency also emerged as the Deputy Speaker.
“It is surprising to know that the Honourable Commissioner of police whose allegiance is supposed to be to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has pitched his tent in support of the minority faction led by the former Speaker of the House of Assembly.
“He is providing cover and security for this minority faction as against the validly elected House of Assembly Speaker and the other principal members.
“On the 7th day of June, 2023, the Commissioner of Police invited the 13 House members including the Speaker to the State Police Command in Lafia and threatened to detain them.
“He then warned that they must all not be seen close to the House of Assembly Complex again. Surprisingly sir, the same Commissioner of police that told the majority members not to go to the premise personally led the minority members into the house of Assembly on the following day i.e 8th day of June, 2023 to conduct an illegal plenary and prevented the Speaker, Rt. Honourable Daniel Ogah Ogazi and other 12 members from entering the Assembly complex to perform their constitutional duties.
The group stressed that Monday being the 12th day of June, 2023, the Commissioner of Police withdrew the two policemen attached to the Ogazi who had been with him since the time he was the majority leader of the House of Assembly.
“The action of the Commissioner of Police in withdrawing his security is tantamount to exposing the speaker to danger. Even an ordinary member of the State House of Assembly is entitled to at least a Police officer not to talk of the Speaker and the number three citizen of Nasarawa State.”
The forum appealed to the Inspector General of Police to use his office to transfer Maiyaki Baba, out of Nasarawa State due to unprofessional conduct.
Responding to the group’s petition, Kingsley Emeka, assistant commissioner of Police at the Force headquarters, said he has seen the inscriptions written.
“We are practicing democracy and I’m sure that democracy is going to play the way it supposed to be. I have a Boss here which all of you are aware that the Inspector General of Police is here. So we are going to pass this to him which I believe that the needful will be done”.