Police detain 30 Reps over death of policeman
By John Ameh, Abuja
Saturday, 8 Mar 2008
punch

About 30 members of the House of Representatives were arrested and detained by the police in Abuja on Thursday over an accident that claimed the life of a policeman.

Investigations by Saturday Punch on Friday, revealed that the accident involved a member of the House, Alhaji Suleiman Kokori Abudul.

Kokori, a member of the Action Congress, representing Okene/Ogori-Magongo Federal Constituency of Kogi State, was reportedly returning from a late night meeting at the Asokoro District when his car and that of the policeman had a head-on collision.

The policeman, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was driving a Mercedes Benz 190 when the accident occurred. He later died at a hospital while the lawmaker was hospitalised at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Saturday Punch, however, gathered that the incident took a new twist when policemen allegedly went to his bedside at the hospital “under the guise of protecting him,” but they ended up arresting him.

Abdul reportedly followed the policemen, led by an assistant commissioner, to the Garki Police Station.

Investigations showed that about 29 of his colleagues, who got wind of the development, went to the police station and tried to mediate in the matter.

They sought for the release of the lawmaker on the ground of his health, but the policemen allegedly objected.

At the police station, the situation later degenerated as the lawmakers insisted that they should be arrested along with Abdul if the police would not release him.

A divisional police officer in the area ordered that the lawmakers be locked up at the premises.

Saturday Punch learnt that, for over two hours the legislators were detained by the police, who allegedly shut the gates of the premises.

The Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, was said to have been informed of the incident and he, in turn, telephoned the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, seeking for his intervention.

Although, Okiro was said to have directed his men to release the lawmakers, a certain female assistant commissioner allegedly gave a contrary instruction resulting in the legislators being held for more than two hours before they were released.

Okiro later visited the speaker on Friday, apparently to explain the details of the incident to him, but Bankole, in turn, kept him waiting for about 45 minutes.

“The speaker initially snubbed him but he eventually saw him grudgingly for a brief moment”, a National Assembly aide, told Saturday Punch on Friday.

When the IG’s reactions were sought, Okiro confirmed the accident, describing it as “minor” but denied that his men detained the 30 lawmakers.

“They were not arrested; they were invited for questioning; it was a minor issue and it has been resolved,’’ he told House of Representatives correspondents.

One of the lawmakers detained is the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and National Orientation, Mr. Dino Malaye.

Speaking on the incident, Abdul admitted that he was returning from a meeting at Asokoro.

“I was driving to my house, which is in Maitama, at about 12.15am. At a junction where the traffic lights were not on, my vehicle collided with another car. All I heard was a bang and I was taken to the hospital”, he stated
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