Police take over Benue Assembly, Presidency exonerates Buhari

There was palpable tension at the Benue state House of Assembly yesterday, when stern looking policemen stormed the complex and chased the Clerk of the House and staff out of their offices.
The incident is happening a day after the police allegedly deployed from Abuja, provided cover for the impeached Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, and seven other members to sit and initiate impeachment process against the governor, Samuel Ortom.
Clerk of the House, Dr. Torese Agena, who spoke to newsmen yesterday at the Government House, Makurdi, noted that they were in their offices when the armed policemen came and ordered him and other civil servants out of the complex.
According to him, when he inquired to find out the reason for their action, the policemen simply said they were acting on orders from the state Commissioner of Police, Besan Dapiya Gwana.
He said the situation which has lingered for the past one week, has prevented them from going about their lawful duties.
“As it is now, staff of the Benue state House of Assembly for the past one week, have not been allowed to do their job.
“That is why we want you to inform members of the public to know the injustice being perpetrated by the police in the state assembly and to help us tell the president to direct the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, to asked the commissioner of police to vacate his men from the premises of the House for the staff to do their work unhindered.
“As I am talking to you now, the policemen are still there but they have chased me and all the staff out of the complex.
They told us that the commissioner of police has instructed them to order us out of the premises.
“They didn’t tell how long they want us out of the premises and when they want us to resume work to perform our lawful civil service duties.
The effect is that this will affect the general day-to-day running of the Assembly” he noted.
In a similar reaction, Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Col.
Paul Hemba (rtd), confirmed the development.
According to him, upon interfacing with the CP, Hemba claimed the police boss told him he was acting on ‘order from above.’ “Yes, I got information from the Clerk that Police chased staff of the assembly away from their offices.
I spoke to the police commissioner a while ago and he confirmed that what happened was based on the instruction from above.
“I told him of the concern of the civil servants and the Clerk of the House too, but he told me the orders were from above.
He said he was attending the IG conference and will get clarification from there before he can give instructions for his men to vacate the House.
That is the situation we have at our hands now,” he explained.
‘Count Buhari out’ Meanwhile, the Presidency has absolved President Muhammadu Buhari of any involvement in the Benue Assembly crisis.
“President Buhari will never be part of any unconstitutional act, and any attempt to link him with the inglorious past, when minority number of lawmakers impeached governors, will not stick”, Special Adviser to the President on Media, Femi Adesina explained in a statement yesterday.
By not interfering in the Benue crisis, Adesina said, Buhari was simply obeying the principles of separation of power.
He said the President should not be criticised for following the dictates of the law and for not interfering in a state crisis since it is not within his power to do so.
“When it suits them, they preach separation of powers and true federalism, and in another breath, they call on the President to interfere brazenly in affairs at state level.
“People who stoke fires by deliberate acts of omission or commission, and then summon the President to come and put it out will find that this President will be guided by the Constitution at all times, no matter the attempt to entangle him in unwarranted controversies,” he said.