Presidency probes fracas, summons police IG

Presidency on Friday summoned Suleiman Abba, the inspector general of police, to explain the confrontation between his men and members of the house of representatives at the national assembly on Thursday.

Aminu Tambuwal, speaker of the house of representatives, had been blocked from entering the national assembly as the house sought to reconvene to consider a presidential bill for the extension of the state of emergency in three north-eastern states.

Commotion ensured as the speaker and lawmakers broke the security barrier, leading to the firing of tear gas in the premises of the national legislature ─ probably the first in Nigeria’s history.

Emeka Ojukwu, police spokesman, had said the operation was based on an “intelligence report” and was meant to forestall the invasion of the assembly by “hoodlums”.‎

But opposition politicians have accused President Goodluck Jonathan of plotting the fracas in order to remove the speaker, who recently defected to the leading opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

After meeting with Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who stood in for President Goodluck Jonathan because of his trip to London for the Honorary International Investment Council  (HIIC), Abba said on Friday that investigation “has been launched and the outcome will be made public soonest”.

Questioned by journalists if he authorised the invasion, Abba said: “Who did what and who didn’t ‎do what will be disclosed to you later. You know we work with investigations. Investigations are going on and the press officer will address you.”

On if he was not aware of the operation, he replied: “I still repeat who did what, who didn’t do what you will hear later, is subject to investigations we just don’t talk anyhow.”‎

He later spoke to ‎Hausa correspondents at the state house.

“Everybody has seen that ‎somebody was even beating somebody, ‎somebody was pushing a policeman from the car.

“Somebody was removing road blocks mounted by police. We have never seen this kind of thing in the whole world‎. So we will talk to you later,” he told them.