Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta
Ogun Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali
All is not yet laid to rest concerning the faceoff between the former DPO of Sagamu Police Station, CSP John Mark and the lawmaker representing Sagamu 1 State constituency, Hon. Yinka Mafe Thursday presented 20 petitions bordering on alleged extortion against the former DPO.
The petitions, after being laid by Hon Yinka Mafe, who is also the Majority Leader of the House, were referred to the House Committee on Justice, Ethics and Petition by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Surajudeen Ishola Adekunbi.
Further speaking, Adekunbi charged the Committee members to be just and conduct their findings with the fear of God.
Adekunbi also directed the Committee to invite all parties involved in the petitions.
The Assembly had, last week, directed the State Commissioner of Police, CP Abdulmajid Ali to investigate the former DPO, CSP John Mark, following allegations raised by the lawmaker.
The Command had on Tuesday, after a protest by the people of Sagamu redeployed the embattled DPO to its headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.
The lawmaker, Yinka Mafe had also come under heavy criticism by the police, as he was said to have lacked moral justification to raise such issues, maintaining that he was allegedly being investigated for criminal cases.
Speaking before the petitions were laid before the House, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, said the House was shocked at the response of the police after the matter was raised at the floor of the House.
Oluomo, representing Ifo 1 State Constituency, opined that institutions should not fight on the pages of newspapers, but explained that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees that members raise issues within the Assembly without any query from any quarters.
He revealed that some members of the House have forwarded petitions against the comments made by the police, saying such comments violated their rights and privileges.
According to him, “As they normally say in the legal parlance, injustice against one is injustice against all. I want to emphasise for the purpose of record that any member of this House has constitutional power and constitutional immunity to raise any issue on the floor of this House by which such a member should not be taken up by anybody.
“Section 128(2)(b) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowers the members of this House of Assembly to raise and expose issues of corruption anywhere it might be happening within our jurisdiction, which I think that exactly was what Hon. Mafe and Soyebo did during the last sitting.
“We are shocked at the manner in which the police responded to it. I want to say that if they know that Hon Mafe has been having issues with them, he has been having 15 cases they want to investigate, why did they wait until one of them is indicted?
“We are not supposed to fight our issues on the pages of newspapers; otherwise they should have taken the matter to court or other arbitration panel for hearing.
“In the light of this, I want to emphasise that some of those things that came from the Police Command during the saga, really and truly affected the right and privileges of the members of this hallowed chamber.
“Mr Speaker, we must rise to make sure that right and privileges of members that have been breached are properly restored to avoid future occurrence,” Oluomo posited.
In his remark, the Speaker, Ishola Adekunbi, appealed to all members to have a good relationship with the security operatives in their domains, adding that the struggle was an institutional issue, the sanctity of which must be protected by all.
“The issue at this point in time is an institutional issues and it behoves on all of us to protect the sanctity of the two institutions.
“We appreciate the police for heeding the voice of Sagamu people by redeploying the DPO. By the time the investigation is concluded, the rights and privileges of the members would be restored,” Adekunbi said.
Ogun Assembly receives 20 petitions against ex-Sagamu DPO
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