Tear -gassing fence-jumping lawmakers

According to accounts, the two chambers—Senate and the House of Representatives– were both on recess, but members had to be hurriedly summoned to enable them deliberate on the issue of extension of emergency rule in the North-east. Some duly arrived at the premises of the iconic and imposing structure of the legislature expecting to find […]

According to accounts, the two chambers—Senate and the House of Representatives– were both on recess, but members had to be hurriedly summoned to enable them deliberate on the issue of extension of emergency rule in the North-east. Some duly arrived at the premises of the iconic and imposing structure of the legislature expecting to find the usually warm reception of the security personnel, who calmly but with elaborate obsequiousness ensure ease of access into the premises. They were mistaken.
This time, the lawmakers met stern-looking policemen wielding lethal weapons and their countenance showed that if provoked they would think nothing of shooting to kill. Even though they recognised Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, now an All Progressives Congress member through defection and others, the security personnel and policemen refused to open the gate to let them in. After a considerable amount of time, the Speaker sensed something was in the offing, but whatever it was he was ready to assert his position and authority as the Speaker.  So, he climbed out of his car and announced himself: ‘’I am Aminu Tambuwal, the Speaker. Now open up.’’ The statement could have been made to the deaf and dumb, because it elicited no positive response at all from the taciturn policemen. Meanwhile other lawmakers got tired of waiting for the policemen and other sundry security agents to obey the instruction, and so they began, as if on cue, to scramble over the perimeter fence of the National Assembly building. The strong and athletic ones had little problem doing so but the not-so-strong had to be helped to scale the fence with their babanriga and agbada flailing in their wake. A few got their apparels caught in the railings of the fence and dangled precariously and had to be helped to ensure their safe landing on the ground.
 Then suddenly pandemonium broke loose. The policemen seeing that they had been beaten and outwitted started lobbing teargas canisters towards the lawmakers, apparently to ensure they confuse and frighten them from reaching the floor of the chamber or their offices. A few of them made a spirited sprint to avoid the blinding and suffocating effect of the gas, while others simply weathered the smoky storm of the teargas until they were able to escape into the chamber. I am happy to report that so far nothing untoward has occurred in terms of fatalities or grievous injuries. Sadly, however, as I understand it, the deterioration of the situation led to too much inhalation of smoke and blistering and watery eyes and running noses of the members which made any kind of deliberation impossible.
What then are we to make of all this? Why should duly elected lawmakers be forcefully kept out of the premises of the National Assembly, a place that is their natural working place and in doing so subjected to unnecessary indignities and humiliation? Well, the first thing to say is that in other countries, namely South Korea and a few others, skirmishes usually happen among the legislators themselves as they attempt to redress partisan party issues through resorting to fisticuffs and turning chairs and tables into deadly missiles. When all the dust is settled, broken heads, maimed feet and mangled hands are carted off to the hospital for care. But in all this, the police and others leave the lawmakers thoroughly alone with the freedom to beat themselves up, including using all manner of hideous weapons to do so. As if to say, it is the members’ inalienable right to deal one another death blows without any hindrance at all.
In Nigeria, it must be said, free for all fights have been extremely few and far between in the law making chambers. It is not that members don’t get angry with one another or on issues, particularly on those bordering on money matters, but good sense has kept wild-cat, all out, agbero behaviour out of the precincts of the two chambers. Senators and members being mostly dattijai and omoluabis, they have kept strictly away from behaviour that can only be found with Ajegunle boys or some other seedy places in other towns. It is therefore to be regretted that rather than helping the National Assembly maintain such sterling records aloft by maintaining peace and order in the premises, the policemen are themselves the fomenters of disorder, mayhem, chaos and general ignoble acts capable of causing unrest. Not only do the despicable acts exhibited run counter to the brief of the Nigeria Police to at all times maintain peace and order of the society, but attempting to keep out the lawmakers from the premises where they work amounts to impeding their work, as well as restricting their freedom of movement and assembly—all copiously provided for in the constitution.
The Nigeria Police ought to be able to distinguish between performance of its lawful duties and being turned into the hatchet men for other people’s and organisation’s dirty jobs. Increasingly, the Nigeria Police Force is perceived as willing to flout the dictates of the law as long as doing so furthers the cause of the ruling party, thereby doing the bidding of the powers that be, no matter how unlawful it may be. Yet, the Nigeria Police Force knows too well that Nigeria has passed through this road before and the police came out worsted. It is part of the reason that it has a battered image, of being seen perpetually to be too beholden to power and not being able to uphold the constitution and protect the weak.
But the time to exhibit such despicable ugly side should not be now when the police is expected to defend and uphold its centrality in dealing justly by all, at a time when such duty is most needed. Elections would be on in 2 months from now and the police would be called upon to discharge its duty as expected.  Using undue force to impede legislative work and restricting lawmakers from discharging their duties—acts clearly aimed at doing the bidding of one party against the others, reflect poorly on the readiness of the police to contribute to a fair, peaceful and transparent elections, come February 2015.
We delude ourselves if the Police’s unnecessary show of strength is dismissed as an isolated act, undertaken by those posted to the National Assembly without the knowledge of the top echelon of the organisation.
Certainly, no errant policemen can, on their own decide to subject a whole Speaker–an important person in the land and a number of lawmakers to so much violence and indignities—without being on express orders from above. Bad shows like the Thursday teargas incident can only further besmirch the already blackened image of the police. Those at the helms of the Nigerian Police Force should know that willingness to play the dutiful attack dogs of the power that be, may earn them more than token reward but such incentive earned at the detriment of the wellbeing of the larger society would come to haunt those who thwarted the rules and laws that caused disorder and chaos to ensue.