Senate probes attempt on Ekweremadu’s life, condemns police lack luster response

…PDP demands wide range investigation as CUPP seeks sack of IGP
The Senate on Tuesday ordered its Committee on Police Affairs to probe an assassination attempt on the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu.

The upper chamber also charged the committee with the responsibility of finding out reasons for the lack luster response from the hierarchy of the Nigeria Police to report of assassination attempt on a high profile political office holder of the Deputy Senate President’s magnitude.

The development was sequel to a motion by Ekweremadu who came in under Senate Order 43 to report to the Senate how he, alongside his wife and a son, escaped assassination attempt in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Deputy President of the Senate said at about 4am on Tuesday, some armed men discreetly evaded the security at his Apo Quarters residence, to gain entry into the house.

He said the attackers, who could not immediately shoot in order not to attract the attention of the security personnel on duty, took hold of his son, and commanded him to lead them to his bedroom.

It was at the Senator’s bedroom that a struggle ensued, leading to the arrest of one of the assailants with dangerous weapons and housebreaking devices, while the rest of the attackers managed to escape.

Ekweremadu said he called the private line of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who did not pick the call, then called some of the aides to the IGP and later the Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge of Operation, but without response from any of them.

He stated further that efforts to also reach the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in-charge of the Apo Legislative Quarters proved abortive, though an officer from the division visited to assess the situation.

To his dismay, he said “neither the IGP nor the DIG has returned my call. This is to show that nobody is safe in this country. People should take to private security as government has failed to provide adequate security for the citizenry”.

But Ekweremadu did not give further details of the attack on the grounds that the Police are already investigating the matter.

Responding, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, berated the police for its rate of response to such an attack

Saraki said: “It is disturbing that over seven hours after the attack, there has been no response from the police.

“The leadership of the police need to sit up and address the spate of insecurity in the country”.

The Senate consequently asked its Committee on Police Affairs headed by Senator Abu Ibrahim to look into the matter and to probe why the police authority has failed to respond to the distress call.

The Daily Times recalls that Ekweremadu narrowly escaped an attempt on his life in Abuja on November 17, 2015.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concern that the latest attack raises fears that certain forces, who have been hostile to Ekweremadu’s political standing, are still bent on silencing him at all cost.

The party said Ekweremadu has been a subject of unrelenting harassments and attacks on his person and office since his emergence as Deputy Senate President, including the May 26, 2017 invasion of his official quarters by security agencies, purportedly in search of phantom caches of arms, and the July 24, 2018 siege of his official residence at Apo Quarters.

The PDP, in a statement made available on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “These were in addition to the invasion of the Senate chamber and carting away of the mace on the day Ekweremadu presided, in an otherwise very secure Three Arms Zone.

Consequently, the PDP demanded an immediate wide-range probe into this particular attack as well as an assurance from the Federal Government on the safety of the Deputy Senate President, as the nation is not ready to accept any harm on his person or his family at this critical time.

Also, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has condemned the failed assassination on Ekweremadu.

The leading coalition of opposition parties in the country said the shocking armed raid is a sad development and a danger signal that homes and lives of key opposition leaders are no longer safe.

Considering the number of policemen on duty at the time of this foiled attack,the CUPP said it is also worrisome that the attack is coming months after a previous failed attempt on the life of the Deputy Senate President which was formally reported to the police but has not been investigated talk less of arresting the culprits.

While demanding that the arrested assassin be properly interrogated to ascertain the real sponsors of the failed move to harm the key opposition leader, the body raised the alarm that there is increasing bloody attack on key opposition leaders at the ward, LGA and state levels and nothing has been done to bring the culprits to justice.

The spokesperson of CUPP, Ugochinyere Ikenga, in a statement made available on Tuesday, reads in part: “This careless act of treating the lives of opposition leaders at different levels like chicken is a dangerous signal that can derail the smooth conduct of the 2019 election.

“We wish to state again that the growing insecurity in the country which have seen murderous gangs springing up from different parts of the country is as a result of the lack of capacity by the outgoing Buhari regime to hang on to power at all cost thereby neglecting their basic constitutional duties of protecting lives and properties.”