NASS invasion: Police allegation dubious, embarrassing – Senate President

NASS invasion: Police allegation dubious, embarrassing – Senate President

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Senate President David Mark, yesterday, described as dubious and
embarrassing, allegation by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, attached to the National Assembly that his (David Mark) security details were the ones who threw teargas canister at the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal when the police invaded the National Assembly last month.

The DPO had allegedly told the Senator Ahmed Makarfi Ad-Hoc
committee investigating the invasion of the National Assembly on
November 20, that it was not Police officers from the Federal Capital
Territory, FCT, that tear-gassed the Speaker and some other members
of the House of Representatives, but rather the Senate President’s
security details.

Mark in a statement signed by his Special Special Adviser on Media
and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “The attention of the Office of
the President of the Senate has been drawn to news reports alleging
that security details attached to the President of the Senate, Senator
David Mark, were responsible for the use of teargas on the person of
the Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tanbuwal,
at the National Assembly premises on November 20, 2014 and credited to SP Idachaba James, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of National Assembly.

“We wish to state without equivocation that the security details
attached to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, did not
and could not have attacked the person of Speaker Tambuwal with
tear gas.

“We find the reports credited to SP. Idachaba that security details of
Senator Mark attacked Speaker Tambuwal with tear gas as absolute
falsehood, dubious, vexatious, horrible and embarrassing.

“The events of November 20, 2015 are very fresh and any attempt to
re-write or misrepresent them will not stand. SP. Idachaba James,
who claimed not to have been present at the scene of the incident but
only relied on hearsay, must not be allowed to embark on a name
calling exercise.

“It is also imperative to state that any attempt to create a needless
feud between the two chambers of the National Assembly is
mischievous and wicked.

“For the avoidance of doubts, we hereby declare that the security
aides of the President of the Senate did not attack Speaker Tambuwal
with teargas.”

The DPO had in his testimony indicted security details attached to the
Senate President of being behind the canister of tear gas at the
Speaker and his colleagues on that day.

But his testimony was debunked by other heads of security and
paramilitary agencies attached to the National Assembly, who
vehemently disagreed with him, saying that they were not aware of
any Mark’s security detail throwing tear gas at Tambuwal.