. Passes confidence vote in leadership
The Senate has ordered a probe into the killing of 10 persons by security forces at an uncompleted building near the Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, last Friday. The investigation is to be carried out by the Senate Committees on National Security and Intelligence and Judiciary, Human Right and Legal Matters.
The probe committee is to report back to the Senate in a week's time. The probe followed the adoption of the motion sponsored by Senator Sahabi Ya'au (Zamfara North) and entitled "The Apo Killing: A case of extra-judicial killing."
Following extensive debate on the motion, the Senate came to the conclusion that it was too early to condemn the killing since there was no evidence yet to ascertain whether the security agents who carried out the operations engaged in any untoward actions.
However, Yau'au in his lead presentation described those killed in the shootout as indigenes of Zamfara, Katsina and Kano states, who were commercial tricycle operators.
He denied the claims by agents of the Directorate of State Security Service, SSS, who carried out the operation that the deceased were members of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect.
The victims were alleged to be using the building as hideout and weapons store preparatory to a terrorist attack on the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The survivors and eyewitnesses claimed that the dead were artisans who were squatters on the property and had paid N200 daily to an unnamed individual to enable them sleep in the uncompleted building.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu admitted that the issue was a sensitive matter because lives were involved. He, however, cautioned that it was not fair at this stage to go into the details of the matter because it would be given different political interpretations, stressing that, people "should suspend further actions and comments on the matter and let our relevant committee investigate the matter and report back to us."
Senator Nkechi Nwogu (Abia Central) in her own contributions spoke along the same lines as Ekweremadu.
According to her, "I'd like to say that it will be too hasty for this chamber to sit here now and to totally condemn the killing without thorough investigations of the matter. The building is not the only uncompleted building in Abuja as a result we should try and get to the root of the matter."
Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, Senators Clever Ikisikpo and Ali Ndume urged caution on the matter. Senate President David Mark while also urging caution in condemning the killings noted that as at today, no one has the actual details of the killings. He insisted that the Senate needs to have detailed information on the matter before it could arrive at a final decision on the matter.
He stressed that, "We must keep sentiments away and concentrate on the facts and the only way we can do this is to set up the relevant committees to look into the matter." Meanwhile, the Senate has expressed confidence in the leadership of the red chamber.
Speaking against the background of the alleged plot to unseat the Senate President, spokesman of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said yesterday that, "all members of the 7th Senate continue to have implicit confidence in the leadership of the Senate."
Abaribe spoke while fielding questions from journalists yesterday at the end of plenary sitting. He also commented on the recent visit of seven splinter governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the Senate President last week in company with the Chairman of the new PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, noting that the Senate President has always allowed groups and individuals who indicate interest to visit him to do so.
Abaribe stated that the visit was at the instance of the members of PDP and because Mark was elected under the platform of the same party, there was no way he would have declined the invitation.
He assured that the PDP as a political, party was intact and was not about to break up.
