Some legislative aides and National Assembly workers have been arrested by security operatives for looting offices in the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The suspects were said to have engaged in the last-minute pilfering of television sets, cabinet shelves, electronics, printers, furniture, air conditioners, rugs and carpets as the 10tth National Assembly is set to resume on Tuesday.
According to multiple sources, the suspects were arrested while trying to move out of the complex without passes for the items.
Confirming the incident, the Sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly, Chuks Obaloje, confirmed the incident, but could not provide details of the development.
“Yes, some people were arrested while trying to go out with some items from the National Assembly. But I wasn’t on duty on the day it happened, so I can’t provide you with details.
Please contact the Crime Division of the National Assembly,” Obaloje told Punch correspondent when he was contacted on Friday.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the National Assembly Complex, Alex Annagu, declined to comment on the incident.
However, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said she could not give details as she had been unable to reach the DPO.
“I have not been able to reach the DPO to give you details of the case and I am on duty outside, so I can’t give anything concrete until I speak with the DPO,” she stated.
Commenting on the theft of items, the Director of Information, National Assembly, Rawlings Agada, stated that the occurrence and the arrest of the culprits proved the effectiveness of the National Assembly security.
He noted that some people were stopped and not allowed to go out with items that were not assigned to their offices.
Agada said, “I don’t want people to sensationalise the issue. What happened was that people were stopped from going out with items that were discovered not to be theirs.
“A pass was issued for the items and accredited to each office. The pass has a list of each item that should be taken out from each office, so if an item that was not on the list was found, such would not be allowed to go out.
“And just as you were checked and cleared to come in, you also need to be checked and cleared when going out.”