The Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa, has urged the leadership of the National Assembly to drag the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Suleiman Abba, to court over the role he played in the November 20 police invasion of the National Assembly complex.
Just yesterday, the Senate instituted a seven-member panel, chaired by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, to probe Abba and to look into the pandemonium which overtook the parliament building on that day as a result of the invasion of the complex by security operatives. The Senate investigative panel will be submitting its report by next Tuesday.
This notwithstanding, Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Senate, told journalists in Abuja on Thursday, that the Senate probe may not adequately address the gravity of the offence committed against the legislature by the police authorities.
According to him, the action of the police breached CAP L.12, section 16 of the constitution (which spells out punishment and fine for obstructing members or officers and creating disturbances, etc), adding that the matter should have been taken to court.
He argued that since members of the Senate who are members of the probe panel were also assaulted by the police on the day the fracas took place, they should not investigate the case in which they are interested parties.
Hear him, “My own take is that you cannot be an arbiter in your own case. All I expected from the Senate was to make a resolution to President Goodluck Jonathan and cite the relevant laws and from there, go to court.
“How do you then, investigate something to which you are a party? Nevertheless, I believe this incident is a call for self-examination on our part. It was defining moment for the National Assembly because the Constitution has already vested the three arms of government with authority.
“Flowing from that, the legislature has its own powers of appropriation, oversight, screening/approval, investigation, veto, repeal/enact laws and impeachment, among others.”The Senate cannot be an arbiter in its own case.
“An offence has already been committed. We know who did it and the law is very clear on what to do. The Police breached CAP L.12 (sections 14-16) of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act.
“So, why set up a panel? We’ve already heard reasons given by the Police and the reasons are not tenable,” he added.
While appreciating the Senate President for finding a space in his large heart to forgive the lawmaker who physically assaulted him during the melee, Marafa commended him and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal for their “maturity and management of the unfortunate incident”.
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