Breaking: Nigerian police recovers mace after hoodlums abandon it under flyover

The Nigerian police has recovered the Senate mace after it was stolen by hoodlums at the red chamber  .The hoodlums stormed the National Assembly on Wednesday, April 18, and forcefully took the mace away. It was rumoured that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege representing Delta central had led the thugs to the Senateas a protest against his suspension.

The police commended the people of Abuja for their confidence in them in reporting when they spotted the mace under a flyover.

Read the police statement below

“Sequel to the invasion of the Senate Chambers of the National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 18th April, 2018 by some suspected thugs who disrupted the Senate Plenary Session and carted away the Mace of the Red Chambers,the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris NPM, mni, immediately instituted a high-powered Police Investigation and Intelligence Team coordinated by the IGP Monitoring Unit of the Force and further directed a total lock-down of the Federal Capital Territory with intense surveillance patrol and thorough Stop and Search Operations at various Police check-points with a view to arresting perpetrators and possible recovery of the stolen Mace.

The Police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spots/flashpoints, stop and search operations, visibility and confidence building patrols, intelligence gathering which forced the suspected miscreants to abandon the Mace at a point under the flyover before the City Gate, where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the Police.

While a discreet investigation into the incident is still ongoing to arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Nigeria Police Force appreciates the spirited members of the public, most especially motorists within Abuja Metropolis for theirsupport, cooperation and timely information during the rigorous stop and search operations for the recovery of the Mace.

The renewed commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to guarantee protection of Lives and Property, Peace and Stability andsustain democracy in the country remains unequivocal and unwavering." 

Meanwhile, the attack on the Senate and the abduction of the mace by certain ‘hoodlums’was condemned by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

In tweets posted on his Twitter handle, @atiku, the former VP registered his shock and outrage, and described the incident as adangerous precedent. Atiku stated that the perpetrators of the attack should not be allowed to go unpunished.