Saraki visits female Sergeant-At-Arms injured during Senate invasion

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Sunday visited a female Sergeant-At-Arms, Sandra Davou, who was wounded on Wednesday when thugs invaded the Senate and stole its mace.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, in Abuja, Mrs Davou who lives in Bwari Area Council in the nation’s capital, is presently recuperating after she was treated and discharged from the hospital.

The Senate was on Wednesday invaded by thugs believed to be led by suspended lawmaker, Ovie Omo-Agege.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the complicity of security agencies in the incident.

The thugs, who disrupted plenary few seconds after Mr Omo-Agege entered the chambers, carted away the mace, the symbol of authority in the National Assembly.

The mace was recovered by the police hours later, following a 24-hour ultimatum from the Senate, for its retrieval.

Mr Saraki was absent during the chaos as he was attending this year’s Spring Meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C.

The senate president, who was accompanied on the visit by his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, and some senators, commended Mrs Davou and her colleagues who had put up a spirited fight to prevent the invaders from gaining access to the Senate chambers.

He also commended his deputy and colleagues who successfully took charge and safeguarded the National Assembly and the nation’s democracy, adding that the visit was meant to thank and show appreciation to Mrs Davou and her colleagues for their hardwork, commitment and courage.

While responding to questions from reporters during the visit, Mr Saraki said the “absence of a Parliament in a nation, nullifies it’s democracy.”

Mr Saraki described the day of the invasion, as a ‘sad day’ and ‘disgrace’ for the nation’s democracy and called for unity and firmness to eliminate all such undemocratic tendencies.

“My colleagues and I have said that the day of the unfortunate invasion was a sad day for democracy. It was a disgrace to our country at large and that such things should not be associated with our country. We must ensure we stand firm as a country to nip all those kind of undemocratic acts that exist in the bud,” he said.