Tempers flared at the Senate on Wednesday when lawmakers debated the arrest and detention of Senator Dino Melaye by the police over alleged involvement in gun-running.
The Senate, after a debate that lasted over one hour, resolved to step down all the items on the order paper and adjourn plenary.
Several lawmakers, who spoke alleged that policemen prevented them from seeing Melaye at the National Hospital Abuja, where he is undergoing treatment over the injuries he sustained from his alleged attempt to escape on Tuesday when he was being taken to Kogi State.
They, therefore, resolved that the plenary be adjourned to allow the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to lead them to the hospital, alleging that policemen guarding Melaye were preventing them from seeing the senator.
The senators also resolved that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, be summoned to appear before the lawmakers at the plenary on Thursday (today) over Melaye’s case and the killings by herdsmen and militias across the country.
Saraki said, “Just to re-emphasise the point: tomorrow morning, by 11am, Senator Abu Ibrahim (who is Chairman, Committee on Police Affairs), by the resolution on the motion, the IG should be here to address us in plenary.
“We will take the issue of Senator Dino and we will also use that opportunity to take the recent killings in the last one week, of close to a hundred in the country.
“Clerk, because of the importance of this, please inform your coverage people (Nigerian Television Authority). It should be live tomorrow, to discuss the issue of security in the country.”
PUNCH