Reps to IGP: Free Lado now or we shut down

Barely 48 hours after resuming from its recess, the House of Representatives has threatened to shun plenary from tomorrow if Rep Abdullahi Lado (APC, Niger), currently held by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Abuja, is not immediately released.

The resolution read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, also said a delegation led by House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos), is to meet with the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to facilitate Lado’s release, failure of which the House would resort to legal redress.

The resolution followed a motion by Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) praying the House to wade into the “politically motivated detention” of Abdullahi Lado for 72 hours without trial by the SARS headquarters in Abuja. “It is unfortunate that a member of the Parliament could be arrested as a common criminal without notifying the presiding officers of the House. Worse still, the police insisted that he cannot be released without the permission of the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if we are under the rule of law or rule of men,” Okechukwu said.

House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) said the disclosure that only the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, could release Lado, was disheartening. He thus urged the House to consider Lado’s disenfranchisement.

Lasun Yusuf (APC, Osun), said the mere fact that a sitting lawmaker has been arrested and detained without trial shows that “Nigerian legislators are the most endangered.”

The House unanimously urged the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris to ensure that Lado regains his freedom within 24 hours else the House would shut down plenary beginning tomorrow.