Niger Assembly probes military invasion in Lapai

The Niger State House of Assembly yesterday set up a five-man committee to investigate an alleged military invasion of Lapai Local Government Council of the state.

Usman Magaji, the member representing Lapai constituency, raised the matter at the floor of the Assembly under matters of urgent public importance.

Armed military personnel invaded the secretariat and sealed off the legislative council with a view to stop the councillors from sitting, allegedly on the order of the chairman of the council, Isah Seidu Baka. It was alleged that the soldiers ordered the councillors to stay away from the council or be shot. Trouble started in the council on January 3 when the councillors removed Usman Mohammed as leader of the legislative house over allegations of incompetence and replaced him with Yusuf Ibrahim.

The failure for the council chairman to recognize the new legislative leader further aggravated the situation and all efforts to resolve the problem by stakeholders failed as the councillors stood their ground.

The member further alleged that the situation worsened when the council chairman and the Commissioner for Livestock, Dr. Yahaya Vatsa, influenced the leadership of the ruling PDP to suspend six of the councillors that participated in the removal of Mohammed and directed the Commissioner for Local Government to stop their salaries and allowances for three months.

Magaji who had earlier presented a formal petition by the affected councillors and a video footage of the soldiers’ invasion said he was compelled to table the matter in order to prevent anarchy in the council.

He said, “The military invasion of a constituted arm of government portends danger for democracy and if the chairman who should be the symbol of democracy is the one inviting the military, we have to act before things get out of hand.” Disturbed by the development, the house constituted an ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter and report back on Tuesday January, 21.