National Assembly Is Under Invasion From Many Unknown People — Lawan

Nigeria’s Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday said that the National Assembly was under invasion from ‘many unknown and uninvited people’. He made this assertion at an emergency meeting of the leaders of the Senate with top security officials in Abuja.

Lawan, in a statement by his media aide, Ola Awoniyi, said:

“Any security person who is given the job to ensure compliance and he’s found involved, we will not hesitate to get that person prosecuted for any wrongdoing.

“Because it is not enough for somebody to do a terrible thing and what you do is transfer him so that he can go and continue somewhere.

“We believe now we have to work together if it means the agencies talking to their people who are supposed to work here, they should do so because truly, we are under invasion. Anytime you come to the National Assembly, it’s full like a market with all manner of people.

“And of course we have  our workers and our visitors. What that means is that, if someone has no business here, that person shouldn’t be in the National Assembly.

“Let me say clearly that what we are trying to do is not to prevent people who have lawful reasons to be here. When you are coming for protests, you are free to do so.

“Our people know where they do their protests and we normally go out to address them because we sit here on behalf of the people of Nigeria. It is legitimate, it is lawful, it is legal for people to come and show either their support for something or their objection to something that has to do with the National Assembly.

“We have maintained this for as far as I can remember in this National Assembly and we are going to continue to receive Nigerians who feel strongly about any issue. We are also at home with anyone who is attending public hearing….Nobody who has a reason to come should be stopped. We will still have visitors,” Lawan said.