The police have announced the recovery of the Senate mace that was stolen by suspected thugs who disrupted plenary session at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly yesterday, Wednesday.
Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Aremu Adeniran, who made the announcement in a statement today, Thursday in Abuja, said that the mace was found abandoned at a point under the flyover before the City Gate, where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the police.
Adeniran said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, had, yesterday, shortly after the hoodlums removed from the Senate Chamber, instituted a high-powered Police Investigation and Intelligence Team coordinated by the IGP Monitoring Unit of the force into the incident.
He said that IGP also directed a total lock-down of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with intense surveillance patrol and thorough stop and search operations at various police check-points with a view to arresting the perpetrators and possible recover the stolen mace.
“The police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spots/flashpoints, stop and search operations, visibility and confidence-building patrols, intelligence gathering which forced the suspected miscreants to abandon the mace at a point under the flyover before the City Gate, where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the police.”
The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer noted that a discreet investigation into the incident is still ongoing to arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He said that the police appreciate the members of the public, especially motorists within Abuja Metropolis for their support, cooperation and timely information during the rigorous stop and search operations that led to the recovery of the mace.
Adeniran stated that the renewed commitment of the police to protecting the lives and property, peace and stability, as well as sustaining democracy in the country remains unequivocal and unwavering. [myad]
