Video: Police, DSS Barricade National Assembly Gate

Malik Yahya/

Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) earlier this morning barricaded the main gate of the National Assembly, preventing lawmakers and staff from gaining access into the complex.

But after a stand-off that lasted about one hour, the senators and other staff were allowed access into their offices.

NewsmakersNG could not yet confirm if the senators would be permitted to access other parts of the Assembly, including the senate chamber, as journalists have not been allowed access.

The masked DSS operatives backed by men of the Nigerian Police had earlier barricaded the two gates with two Sports Utility Trucks and standing firmly, guns in hand.

All the senators including Senator Ben Bruce, Rafui Ibrahim and Sani Yerima, who came to the National Assembly were denied access.

Some of the Senators who sought to know why the gates were being blocked did not get any answer from the operatives who kept mum.

Senator Ben Bruce who arrived later, briefed the crowd of journalists and National Assembly staff who had gathered in front of the gate and threatened to get the details of the security operatives and send to all relevant embassies and have their Visa revoked.

“We will ask them to revoke their Visas, the Visas of their wives and the Visa’s of their children. Any nation in Western Europe and North America. And let me say this very clearly: let nobody test this institution.

“I call on all of you to photograph all those breaking the law, get me their pictures, get me their names. We will submit the names of Senator Akpabio and his gang, we will submit them to the embassies, i am in talks with them already, we will make sure their Visas are revoked.

They will not be travelling for a very long time, not even for medical check ups,” he said.

Bruce later posted pictures of himself and other senators inside the Assembly in a tweet on his handle @benmurraybruce.

The tweet read: “Outside the National Assembly chambers with other defenders of democracy; Senators and House of Reps members. A few of us finally got our way in, but the media have been blocked from entry. However, we have our phones & will make sure injustice doesn’t prevail. #SaveOurDemocracy.

“We will forever defend this hard fought democracy. Illegality will never stand! We are now in the complex but are yet to get access to the chambers as staff of the National Assembly in charge of this have been blocked from entry.
#SaveOurDemocracy”

See the photos:

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