Police fired tear gas yesterday to disperse lawmakers and staff of the Niger state House of Assembly including crowd of onlookers to prevent them from entering their offices at the complex.
The lawmakers, who effected change of leadership two days ago, arrived at the gate to the complex yesterday morning only to meet more presence of police that had sealed off the premises.
While the lawmakers engaged the police on reasons for blocking them from the Assembly, it was gathered that the crowd of onlookers trooped closer to the gate prompting the police to use tear gas and forcing people to run for their lives.
A member of the Assembly, Jibrin Akwanu, representing Agaie constituency told Blueprint that the lawmakers left the premises because they did not want break down of law and order.
He said in a telephone interview that “we saw a crowd coming to joins us at the gate and some people coming from the state secretariat also. We are law abiding citizens and we would not want anybody to die in the process. We decided to leave the place for the sake of peace and safety of the public.”
However, the police have explained that its action was not directed at the lawmakers but acted swiftly to prevent the mob of youths from hijacking the situation to cause havoc.
Police Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Ibrahim Gambari, told Blueprint that the police were not after the lawmakers but those who want to hide under the crisis to cause break down of law and order.
He said: “The police are not against the lawmakers and we do not stop them from performing their duty. But like I said before, police have information that some people are trying to cause problem at the premises and we have to take proactive measures to forestall any break down of law and order.
That was what manifested at the premises today and police have to disperse the mob using acceptable minimum force.”
Meanwhile, Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has distanced himself from the crisis rocking the House of Assembly.
The governor in a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Israel Ebije, washed his hands clean of the crisis and dismissed rumours of impeachment against him.
is served on the governor of Niger state tomorrow; the governor should be prepared.”