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By Ifeanyi Nwoko
The mace which is the symbol of authority of the Senate was on Wednesday, snatched  by some unidentified men.
Our correspondent at the National Assembly reports that the men barged  into the Chamber of the Senate, during plenary, pushed away the Sergeant-at-Arms positioned at the entrance and carted away the mace.
It is unclear if the men have succeeded in leaving the National Assembly complex but at the time of this report, the mace has been taken away from the chamber.
The drama coincided with the  protest at the National Assembly against the suspension of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, APC- Delta Central.
Yusuph Olaniyonu, the media adviser to Senate President said on a WhatsApp forum that an official statement will soon be issued.
Spokesperson of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi,  accused Senator Ovie  Omo-Agege of masterminding the snatching of the mace.
He described the action as an attempt to overthrow an arm of government. He said it was treason.
“Today, some hoodlums led by suspended Senator, Ovie Omo-Agege, walked into the Senate plenary and seized the symbol of authority of the Upper Legislative Chamber, the mace.
“This action is an act of treason, as it is an attempt to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria by force, and it must be treated as such.
“All security agencies must stand on the side of due process and immediately mobilise their personnel to retrieve the mace and apprehend the mastermind and the perpetrators of this act.
“This action is also an affront on the legislature, and the Leadership of the House has come to express their support against this action.
“The Senate is now in an Executive session. An updated statement will be released immediately after the closed door session,” he said.
In an updated statement, Abdullahi Sabi said the Senate resumed plenary  after coming out of the executive session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon.
“The session is holding with the mace, the official symbol of authority firmly in place, and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, presiding.
“The Senate also decided that it will get to the roots of this sad assault on democracy and an obvious act of treason which the seizure of the mace by some armed hoodlums represents. The hoodlums severely attacked some members of staff of the National Assembly, particularly the Sergeant-at-Arms on Chamber duties.
“The Senate has mandated the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Kpotum Ibrahim and Director General of the State Security Services (SSS), Malam Lawan Daura, to retrieve the mace stolen by the hoodlums within 24 hours.
“At the moment, some House of Representatives members led by Deputy Speaker. Hon. Yusuf Lasun, are in the Senate chambers in solidarity visits. The session is presently live on NTA Channel 10.
“We are determined to conclude all matters slated on the Order Paper for today, even if it means us sitting until 6pm”, said Ekweremadu.
Meanwhile, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who led hoodlums to the National Assembly on Wednesday, to snatch the Senate’s mace during plenary, has been arrested.
The mace is the symbol of authority of the Senate.
Omo-Agege was arrested at about 2:00 PM outside the National Assembly building. A source in the National Assembly told our correspondent that the suspended senator has been led away by the Police.
However at the time of this report, it is still unclear if the mace that was snatched had been recovered, but the lawmakers had resumed plenary with a spare mace.
Omo-Agege was suspended last week for taking the Senate to court. He had dragged the senate to court to stop the committee on Ethics from inviting him to answer questions over comments attributed to him.
The senator shortly after the first consideration of the bill to amend the electoral act and change the election sequence, told newsmen that the action of the Senate was targetted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement by the spokesperson of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the Senate resumed plenary  after coming out of an executive session where the earlier incident of forceful removal of the mace was deliberated upon.
“The session is holding with the mace, the official symbol of authority firmly in place, and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, presiding.
“The Senate also decided that it will get to the roots of this sad assault on democracy and an obvious act of treason which the seizure of the mace by some armed hoodlums represents. The hoodlums severely attacked some members of staff of the National Assembly, particularly the Sergeant-at-Arms on Chamber duties.
“The Senate has mandated the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Kpotum Ibrahim and Director General of the State Security Services (SSS), Malam Lawan Daura, to retrieve the mace stolen by the hoodlums within 24 hours.
“At the moment, some House of Representatives members led by Deputy Speaker. Hon. Yusuf Lasun, are in the Senate chambers in solidarity visits. The session is presently live on NTA Channel 10.
“We are determined to conclude all matters slated on the Order Paper for today, even if it means us sitting until 6pm”, said Ekweremadu.
Reacting to the event, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned in totality, Wednesday’s attack on the Senate and the snatching on the Mace of the senate.
This is even as it has called on all security agencies to take all necessary actions to recover the stolen mace and ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice.
In a statemnet issued by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, the party said that the attack ammounted to an attack on the nation’s democracy.
“The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to the invasion of the Nigerian Senate by suspected thugs who disrupted Wednesday’s plenary and made away with the mace.
“The APC hereby condemns this action and views it as an attack on our democracy and a desecration of the hallowed institution of the National Assembly.
“We therefore call on security agencies to take all necessary actions to recover the stolen mace and ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Police has arrested Senator Ovie Omo Agege for leading the hoodlums into the Senate chamber during plenary to snatch the Mace which is the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber.
The Senate late today, 18/4/2018 resumed sitting after the incidence of Mace snatching by some men led by suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.
Omo-Agege had led some unidentified men to Senate Chamber and forcibly took away the Mace which is the symbol of authority of the upper chamber.
Reports from the Senate say that session is ongoing as being  presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who announced that the Senate will fully look into the matter, pointing out that the Senate cannot be intimidated in a democracy. (NAN).