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Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Embattled Plateau assembly speaker whisked away in police van

It was not exactly clear if the police whisking away the embattled speaker was an arrest or to tame the chaos at the assembly complex.

• November 1, 2021

The crisis rocking the Plateau State House of Assembly took a new twist on Monday afternoon with the direct involvement of the state police command.

Edward Egbuka, the commissioner of police in the state, led a team of police officers to whisk away the embattled speaker Abok Ayuba in a police Hilux van.

Mr Ayuba told journalists that he did not know whether he was being arrested or not, adding that he would address journalists at the end of everything.

The state police chief, however, told journalists that they were going to another venue to continue with the discussions that they started in the speaker’s office.

He said that they would address the press when the discussions were concluded.

Mr Ayuba was on October 27 impeached by eight members of the state house of assembly, who went ahead to elect Yakubu Sanda as the new Speaker.

But Ayuba and members of the house loyal to him held a session outside the assembly complex the same day during which they suspended six of the members that impeached him, and declared him(Ayuba) as the authentic speaker of the house.

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong had recognised Mr Sanda as the new speaker.

Mr Ayuba and lawmakers loyal to him were holding a meeting in his office on Monday when rival thugs started protesting, forcing the involvement of the police.

(NAN)

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