The Senate on Wednesday resolved to extend the time of its investigative panel probing alleged assault of a woman at an Abuja sex- toy shop by Senator Elisha Abbo.
The Upper Chamber agreed to extend the two weeks earlier given to the Senator Samuel Egwu- led committee by one week.
Egwu told the Senate that Senator Abbo informed the committee he was constrained to speak to the committee because the issue under investigation was already in court.
He said that the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Adamu Ciroma, gave the same response.
Egwu also said the alleged victim of the assault and owner of the shops did not respond to the committee’s investigation.
According to him: “I am standing here as chairman of the committee to seek for additional time to submit our report.
“Because of the sensitivity of the work of this committee and the incident, the interest of our members and even the public to know whatever happened we ask for this extension.
“When we set out to do this investigation, we invited all the people that are involved. We invited firstly our colleague.
“In the cause of our interaction, he made it clear to us that he has been invited by the police where he was detained for 24 hours and thereafter charged to court.
“The case is already in court and it is subjudice. He cannot go ahead and give us any information in order not to be sub-judice.
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“Thereafter, we invited the police and the CP of Abuja, who came and told us that the IG of police asked him to investigate the matter.
“He also went ahead to tell us that the case is in court and subjudice. Therefore, he cannot give us further details.
“After that, we also invited the lawyer to the victim who also repeated the same thing.
“We tried to reach the victim herself and equally the shop owner, they never showed up.”
Egwu sought the leave of the Senate to grant the committee an extension until the police finished its case.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the investigation is not criminal probe.
Lawan said: “Let me clarify this, we are not investigating a criminal matter. We are investigating misconduct.
“The Senate is not investigating what the police is investigating. The Senator who raised point of order came under privileged.
“This privilege is about the senator’s misconduct that could be attributed to everybody as a senator or the entire Senate. We have different tracks in this.
He told Egwu that what he was asking for is an extension of time.
He said: “We cannot go and sit until the police finish their investigation. What they are investigating is maybe something criminal in nature.
“We will give you an extension of time but we cannot stop our activities that until the police finish its court case.”
The committee was inaugurated two weeks ago and due to present its report this week before the extension. [THE NATION]
