The Senate, yesterday, rejected a move by Sen. Dino Melaye (PDP, Kogi) for the full disclosure of the names, total number and location of all the policemen deployed to Ekiti State for Saturday’s governorship elections.
Melaye had in a motion told his colleagues that there were media reports suggesting that 30,000 policemen were deployed to Ekiti State for election at a time hundreds of Nigerians were allegedly being killed daily.
He said as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his life had been in danger since his encounter with the police recently.
Melaye, therefore, prayed that the police should provide to the Senate the full names, actual number and the locations from which the policemen were deployed, while also providing adequate security to him as a serving senator as his life was in danger.
But Sen Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara), said the Senate should not be seen to be doing police job by requesting for the details of the deployed policemen.
“Everybody in Nigeria today knows that Dino belongs to the opposition. So, whenever he speaks, people know the point he is speaking from. What Melaye said in the motion is completely doing the work of the police.
“Therefore, I oppose the prayer that the police should furnish us with the names of the policemen deployed to Ekiti.
“This case of Ekiti is very particular. When they did the last election, the then government of the day sent soldiers not even policemen. We protested in this chamber but nothing was done.”
“What Sen. Dino Melaye brought to us today doesn’t even have to be discussed here. The police have the right to ensure that anybody going to Ekiti for the election is protected. We shouldn’t reduce this chamber to that. We’re far more serious to reduce this chamber to that,” he said.
At this point, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, observed that Dino raised two issues on the withdrawal of his personal security and threat to his life.
“I remember that in Anambra, we had 25,000 policemen, while we had 26,000 in Edo. But the problem is that if you send the policemen, we should be able to see them at the polling units.”
Consequently, senators rejected Melaye’s prayer for the details of the policemen deployed and adopted the one for the police to provide security for the senator.
