Nasarawa state commissioner for justice arrested for scaling Assembly fence

The Nasarawa State Police Command on Tuesday arrested the Nasarawa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Innocent Lagi, for scaling the fence of the State House of Assembly to serve a court order. Lagi was at the Assembly to serve the officials with a court injunction restraining the House from summoning the chairmen of Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission and his commissioners to appear before them. However, the News Agency of Nigeria reports that he was not allowed into the premises by the security officers. The Attorney-General, after being denied access to the complex, decided to jump over the fence, which prompted the legislators to order security officials to arrest him. NAN also reports that before Lagi arrived at the Assembly complex, the Chairman of the commission, Dr. Abdullahi Modibo, and five other commissioners had already responded to questions raised by members on the conduct of the local government election. The premises was cordoned off by no fewer than 80 security operatives, who tried to stop Lagi by locking the gate but he jumped over the fence to enforce the court order. The commissioner was detained for about 40 minutes at the Assembly’s security post before he was whisked away in an Armoured Personnel Carrier with number plate NPF 5945AC. Before the crisis ensued, Modibbo had admitted that he erred over the announcement of results from Obi and Akwanga local government areas, which were already declared by their respective returning officers as having been won by PDP candidates. The House then directed the electoral boss to go and make proper announcement of the results from the two areas. House Majority Leader, Godiya Akwashiki, said the House ordered for the arrest of the Attorney General because they did not know his mission as he jumped the fence to gain access into the Assembly. “We were surprised to hear that the commissioner, who knows the implications of jumping a fence, could go to the extent of jumping the fence to serve the Assembly with a court order,” he said. When contacted on the telephone, the Police Public Relations Officer, Umaru Isma’ila, said  the legislators had called the Commissioner of Police to report the action while the Attorney General was invited to the command for an interview.

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