The House of Representative on Thursday invited the Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Prisons Service and the Minister of Interior to appear before the House Committee on Interior over an allegation of assault of a female Member of the House of Representatives within the National Assembly.
The prison boss was invited to explain why security operatives and aides attached to his convoy battered and assaulted a female federal lawmaker under his watch during his visit to the National Assembly on Wednesday, 20th April, 2016.
The development follows a point of order by the Minority Leader of the House, Honorable Leo Ogor. He described the purported action of the prison boss as a gross violation of Section 16 of the House’ Privileges Act which prohibits any form of obstruction of a Member of the Parliament to and fro legislative business.
Ogor cited another case where the prison boss in question had attempted to assault a witness during one of the Committee Hearings within the National Assembly Complex and added that if the allegations were investigated and found to be true, the CG should face serious sanction from the parliament.
He condemned the act, noting that the only offense probably committed by the female lawmaker was that she over took the convoy of the prison boss which he questions if it was enough to give the right for a female to be battered in the manner reported.
Other lawmakers who spoke including leader of the House, Honorable Femi Gbajabiamila described the action of the Comptroller of Prisons as barbaric and shameful. They posited that such is one of the abuses of office that victimizes average innocent Nigerians on daily basis, insisting the prison boss must be punished if found culpable of the allegation.
In his reaction, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara said “abiding by the principles of justice and Fair Hearing, the House has resolved to invite both the CG and men of other security outfits attached to the National Assembly complex to come and give their own account of what transpired between the CG and the assaulted Member of House of Representatives.
The Committee on Interior is to investigate the matter and report back to the House for effective action within one week.
