…As Nation’s Parliament Gets New Serjeant-at-arms Boss
A yet-to-be identified thief entered the National Assembly premises on Wednesday 9th October, 2024 between 8:00am and 8:30 am, and successfully stole the car of a parliamentary staff member, Collins Osenun.
Osenun, who works with the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) in the House of Representatives, told journalists on Saturday that all efforts to recover his car since then had been futile.
According to Osenun, the wine coloured Toyota Camry Car with Registration Number ABJ 740 AE and chassis No: 4T1BG22KXYU731374 was stolen at the National Assembly premises despite the full security checks put in place by the various security agencies there.
He explained that he drove into the car park at the National Assembly Arcade around 6:50am on the fateful day and went to his office.
Osenun said, “I went to the office early to clear my table in preparation for a 9am event I had outside the complex.
“It was when my colleagues drew my attention to the fact that I was running late for the event that I hurriedly left the office around 8:30am.
“I was traumatised and shocked when I did not see my car. I raised the alarm immediately.
“I reported the matter to the heads of the Nigeria Police Force, Directorate of State Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the National Assembly Serjeant-at-arms.
“The police authorities in the National Assembly told me that signals had been sent out.
“The information I got at the DSS office was that the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera mounted in the National Assembly revealed that the thief was captured on camera when he entered around 8am, and pretended to be one of the numerous cleaners employed by private firms.
“I was also told that when the thief got to the car park, he attempted to snatch a Sport Utility Vehicle RAV4 but could not open the door.
“The secret police also told me that the camera captured when the man abandoned the RAV4 and went for my car and opened it, obviously with a master key manufactured by him and left.”
Osenun displayed, a print out of the CCTV camera which revealed the picture identity of the thief.
Further investigation on Saturday revealed that the head of Serjeant-at-arms department, the constitutionally recognised outfit meant to provide security at the National Assembly, had retired along with his deputy.
The outfit, whose personnel had yet to be bearing arms had over the years, been relying on the police and other security agencies to protect lives and property in the nation’s apex legislative institution.
It was learnt that the former head of the Serjeant-at-arms department, a retired airforce general, Air Commodore Abdullahi Sanni Zakari (retd) retired from the service of the National Assembly recently.
He was said to have retired along with his deputy, Mr. Adedeji Alabi, a fellow of security studies (fss).
The management of the federal legislature had subsequently, appointed in acting capacity, Mr. Vincent Idike, a fellow of the Security Institute (fsi) and a Knights of Saint Molumba, to head the Serjeant-at-arms department pending the appointment of a substance head.
