Senate President says cabal, DSS planned National Assembly invasion for months

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has alleged that a government within a government planned the invasion of the National Assembly complex for months.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) took over the National Assembly complex early on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, and prevented lawmakers and journalists from gaining access into the premises in what many believed to be a plot to implement Saraki's impeachment.

While speaking at a press conference held at the national assembly complex on Wednesday, August 8, Saraki alleged that the plan was implemented by a 'government within this government', popularly called a cabal, that doesn't have the interest of Nigerians at heart.

"I said it then, and now we are beginning to see the manifestations of that government within a government. It beats one's imagination how the head of an agency could have authorized the brazen assault on the legislature that we saw yesterday," he said.

According to the senate president, the siege by the DSS was an attempt to illegally remove the leadership of the Senate in flagrant disregard of the law.

He disclosed that the invasion was planned for months and questioned how it was allowed to happen in a democratic government.

He said, "This is an incident concerning which we have it on good authority that it has been in the planning for months, and yet it was allowed to happen. How is it that such an atrocity was not prevented? How is it that the masterminds were not deterred? Very serious questions remain that can only be answered by a full investigation.

"We call for an investigation, and we demand that all perpetrators are brought to book. We owe it to ourselves to ensure that such a situation never occurs again. Many agencies have abused their powers and acted outside the ambit of the law on occasion. Where abuses occur, similar actions must be taken immediately and full investigation instituted."

The senate president also praised Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, for sacking the Director-General of the DSS, Lawal Daura, on Tuesday over the incident.

"His decisive action went a long way towards restoring confidence. It sent a powerful message - that the DSS cannot be recklessly deployed against institutions of our democracy," he said.

Read Saraki's full statement here.