LAGOS APRIL 20TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Justice Ishaq Bello, Chief Judge of the High Court of the FCT, on Thursday restrained security agencies in the country from arresting Senator Ovie Omo-Agege following the invasion of the Senate and forceful removal of the mace on Wednesday.
The senator representing Delta Central in the red chambers had been accused of leading invading thugs to cart away with the mace in the Senate.
Justice Bello specifically barred the Nigeria Police, Directorate of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation from arresting or threatening Senator Omo-Agege.
The restraining order was sequel to a motion ex parte filed on behalf of the embattled senator by Aliyu Umar (SAN) on Thursday.
Moving his application ex parte, Umar, who led a team of lawyers, prayed for an interim order protecting the senator from possible arrest pending the determination of a fundamental human rights enforcement suit he had instituted against the respondents.
After hearing the submission of the applicant, Bello granted the four reliefs he sought.
Consequently, he adjourned hearing in the matter to May 6. He also reassigned the suit to Court 30 for continuation of hearing.
Following the invasion of the red chamber by hoodlums, the senator was briefly detained by the police on Wednesday.
He was arrested at the premises of the National Assembly as soon as the chaos that greeted the invasion was brought under control.
After the invasion and carting away of the mace, which is the symbol of the Senate’s authority during plenary, Senate spokesperson, Abdullahi Sabi, accused Omo-Agege of leading the thugs to perpetrate acts he described as anti-democratic.
However, in a statement on Wednesday evening, Omo-Agege denied the allegation.
He maintained that he was at the National Assembly to resume sitting “based on a legal advice and his understanding of the current position of the law.”
The police later announced recovery of the mace, but said investigation into the incident was still ongoing.
The embattled lawmaker was suspended from the Senate on April 12 over his claim that the bill for reordering election sequence was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
The senator later apologised to his colleagues after the Senate directed its Ethics & Privileges Committee to investigate the matter.
The committee eventually recommended Omo-Agege’s suspension.