Police Seal Off Benue Assembly Complex, Drove Staff Away
Loading ...From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
Police officers acting on the orders of the federal government has sealed off the Benue State House of Assembly complex, the Clerk of the House, Torese Agena has said.
Agena who disclosed this to newsmen in government House, Makurdi stated that staff of the state government working at the Assembly complex were driven away by the police.
In his words, “Today being the 31st day of July, 2018, staff of the Benue House of Assembly, were after two hours of resumption of work, we had orders from the security men that the Commissioner of Police, Benue state command has given an order that all staff should vacate the Assembly.
The Clerk who condemned the continuous harassment of staff of the state assembly noted, “To me, this is harassment, one that is too many”.
He lamented that staff of the assembly has not been allowed to perform their duties for two weeks now and called on the CP to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Inspector General of Police to withdraw his men from the premises of the Benue House of Assembly to enable staff to their work unhindered.
“As I’m speaking with you, the policemen are still there and no staff is there because I was also chased out. They told us that the CP has ordered us to leave. The message was as vague as that. No time was given to us to resume”, he added.
Also speaking to newsmen, the Security Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom, Col. Paul Hemba (rtd) confirmed the heightened security situation in the state saying the civil servants at the Assembly were chased away.
“I have called the Commissioner of Police and he confirmed he gave the instructions and that he is acting on orders from above.
Hemba said when he expressed the concerns of the staff and that of the clerk, the CP insisted he was acting on orders from above but added that since he was on his way to Abuja for the IG’s conference, he will get clarification on the next line of instruction.
