Zulu-Gambari Abdul of the Divisional Police Officer in the National Assembly, on Wednesday described the invasion of National Assembly as an act of internal conspiracy among some security agencies and some of the lawmakers.
Abdul said this during an investigative hearing into the stolen mace by joint Senate and House of Representatives’ Ad-hoc committee investigating the invasion of the Senate.
“There should be a synergy between security agencies and the lawmakers, but in this case the attack came from the roof as the Senators are not helping security matters.
“On April 16, there was an earlier hint that a group planned to invade the National Assembly and disrupt activities, which called for a build-up of security with two units of mobile police mobilised to the complex.
“However on April 18, at about 10; 11 am, my attention was drawn to a group protesting at the gate, while I moved to address the group, I was informed that some people were running away with the mace.
“I signalled all the entry points that nobody drives in or out but three men approached me identifying themselves as security operatives and requested to be allowed to go.
“The strain of blood on their clothes made me become suspicious and I ordered they be arrested. In all, six people were arrested same day and handed over to the Force headquarters alongside charms recovered from them.
“In addition, an unmarked Prado Jeep and a Toyota Hilux were impounded and they are with the Police. It was later that I observed that the protest was a diversionary attention to move me out and that the protesters were same group with those that attacked,” CSP Abdul told the lawmakers.
He, however, said that there was no communication from the Sergeant-at-Arms during the invasion by the thugs.
In his remarks, Brighton Danwalex, Sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly, said that report from investigation the Sergeant-at-Arms to the National Assembly after the incident accused Senator Ali Ndume of instructing the men assigned to protect the mace not to touch it during the invasion.
According to him, it was wrong for them to take orders from Ndume.
“Security men are having challenges with some legislators because they don’t want to follow checks,” he observed.
Danwalex said that security men were overpowered due to lack of non-functional security gadgets to enhance operational capacity.
“There is no functional walkie-talkie; we would have alerted all the exit points. The CCTV is not functional and there is only one operational patrol vehicle and the entrance into the white house requires biometric doors,” he argued.
In his intervention, Senator Bala N’allah requested the Police to furnish it with copy of station diary where entry of the crime was made, as well as copies of crime routine diary, pictures of those arrested and the transfer register explaining where the invaders were transferred to.
On her part, Betty Apiafi, Co-Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, blamed the invasion on negligence of the Sergeant-at-Arms.
She accused them of failing to raise alarm having observed something unusual movement.
In the same vein, Senator Shehu Sani accused the security operatives in the complex of regularly collecting money to allow unauthorised persons into the premises.
“People troop in here by paying money to security. Supposing it was terrorists and had it been they came in to kill someone, they would have succeeded.
“How can five thugs succeed if there was no collusion? Security men here control crowd who come to protest but melted away that day and the two Sergeant-at-Arms who normally protect the mace were not seen,’’ Sani said.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
