From Yakubu Busari,Jos
The reconciliation meeting scheduled by Commissioner of Police, Bartholomew Onyeka with the factional Speakers of the Plateau House of Assembly on Tuesday ended in deadlock with the commissioner warning against breakdown of law and order .
Onyeka who disclosed this during a press briefing held at the Command headquarters in Jos ,called for calm and appealed to the citizens to go about their lawful businesses with fear .
He said ,”the command got the wing of the information of the judgment entered in favour of Rt.Hon. Ayuba Nuhu Abok reinstating him as the speaker of the 9th Assembly after his impeachment saga that lasted two and a half year .
“Ayuba Abok approached the state High Court seeking the interpretation of his unlawful impeachment as the speaker after defecting to PDP. He explained that the command play a neutral role in trying to calm situation not to allow it aggregate into tension “.
Bartholomew stressed that they heeded the advice by a team of lawyers to swiftly prevent the breakdown of law and order because he is the chief security officer saddle with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties of citizens which is enshrined in section 214 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and the Police Act 4. He said ” the police are here to safeguard lives of all Nigerian.”
According to him ,the presence of security agencies sealing the Assembly complex was not targeted at anybody but to ensure the continue of peace and order in the state
He vowed that “we can’t allow the state under the atmosphere of crises by the state Assembly members to turn the complex into a boxing ring but to secure the environment and give chance to legislative business to strife .
Bartholomew Onyeka said the police are neither politicians nor partisans to political activities and appealed to traditional rulers ,religious and community leaders to avoid sensational comments that could plunge the state into fresh crisis.
“We can’t allow the state Assembly members go into crisis resulting in intolerance and insecurity. Let them settle their differences without rancour .t
He disclosed that the scheduled meeting ended in deadlock because stakeholders refused to honour the invitation of the Nigeria Police Force, “so we warn them to stay clear of the Assembly complex pending the resolution of the crisis” .
The CP emphasized that after the sealing of the complex some people are still invading the place so we can’t allow such disgruntled elements to besieged the Assembly and we got to know about the judgment through the social media .
Added ,how the former speaker Rt.Hon.Ayuba Abok ran to the state Assembly to start snapping pictures and posting them through WhatsApp, Facebook was what attracted the police attention to prevent uncertainty .
