Senate Won’t Revisit Mace Theft, Says Spokesman

The Senate has foreclosed the possibility of revisiting the issue of the theft of its mace in April, 2018.

Its spokesperson, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, said at the weekend that all that transpired in the life of the Eighth Senate from June, 2015 to June 8, 2019, had become a thing of the past.

According to him, anything that affects the life of the Eighth National Assembly, including any uncompleted report, has expired with the life of the last Assembly.

"Any unresolved issue in the Eighth Assembly has gone forever. So, the implication is that the report of mace snatching has gone with the Eighth Senate.

"If it is a bill that was passed but not assented to, or any other uncompleted bill, they have expired with the life of the Eighth Assembly.

"As far as the Ninth National Assembly is concerned, even if we want to enact a bill, we have to start it afresh," he said.

The Eighth Senate under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki, had constituted an adhoc committee led by the then Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na'Allah (Kebbi Central), to probe the theft of the Senate mace by suspected hoodlums on April 18, 2018.

The committee, had invited the current Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, to appear before it over the allegations that he masterminded the snatching of the mace by six hoodlums.

The committee, which Omo-Agege honoured its invitation, had in compiling its report recommended him for suspension for 180 legislative days over his role in the incident.

The committee also recommended the prosecution of Omo-Agege and six other suspects who allegedly accompanied him to the chamber on the day of the incident for treasonable felony, assault on National Assembly staff, conspiracy to steal and eventual theft of the Senate mace.

However, before the committee could submit its report to the Senate at plenary, Omo-Agege had approached an Abuja High Court to restrain the Senate from suspending him over the alleged mace theft.

The court in June, 2018, restrained Saraki; House Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara and eight others from considering the report of the Senate’s ad-hoc committee.

The court injunction was in place until the Eighth Senate expired in June, 2019 ahead of the inauguration of the Ninth Senate on June 11, 2019.