Withdrawal Of Meranda’s Security Detail Was For Audit; Says Police
The Lagos State Police Command has reinstated the security detail of Mojisola Meranda, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, after an initial withdrawal for “an audit review.”
Moshood Jimoh, the state Commissioner of Police, confirmed the development during a press briefing on Thursday.
He clarified that the withdrawal was a routine administrative measure rather than a punitive action.
“The security detail assigned to the Speaker was temporarily withdrawn as part of our standard auditing process to ensure efficiency and accountability within the command,” Jimoh stated.
Earlier, Naija News House reported that a fresh crisis erupted in the Lagos State House of Assembly as lawmakers had openly rejected the reinstatement claims of impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, calling his return a “charade” and an “embarrassment.”
Speaking to journalists at the Assembly Complex on Thursday, the lawmakers had reaffirmed their loyalty to Speaker Mojisola Meranda and demanded respect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership over the unfolding power struggle.
Speaking for the lawmakers, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, Stephen Ogundipe, had said, “This is Lagos, and this is the Lagos State House of Assembly. We were approached by our leaders that we should remain calm and take things easy. But we are shocked to see what happened today.”
In a video, he had added, “We are still expecting them to come and tell us where we went wrong. We won’t take laws into our hands, just like I told the staff, they should not take laws into their hands. But we all belong to different constituencies; we have our mandates. Whatever is going to happen, the leadership should speak to us and not this charade that we are seeing.”
The lawmaker further expressed outrage over their treatment at the Assembly gate, describing the situation as disrespectful.
“We are not happy. We are shocked to see what is happening despite that this is Lagos. This is the centre of excellence. This is where everything starts and stops. We are law-abiding. We have not done anything against the state or against anybody.
“But we also want to be respected, to be given our dignity, to be shown that we are elected. So I am unhappy with the leadership of our party that we cannot continue this way.
“They have taken us to court. And it is for us to let the process follow its due course. But what we are seeing today is a charade. It’s uncalled for. It is an embarrassment because, for me to even enter the gate, I was stopped.”
The controversy had deepened on Thursday when Obasa stormed the Assembly Complex under heavy security, accompanied by police officers and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).
“I’ve resumed, and I remain the Speaker of the Assembly,” Obasa had declared upon his arrival, dismissing his earlier impeachment.
Naija News House earlier reported that Obasa’s security details, which were withdrawn after his removal, had been restored, while the security aides attached to Speaker Meranda were taken away, raising concerns for her safety.
Sources within Meranda’s camp had confirmed that Obasa arrived at the Assembly with thugs and armed policemen, further escalating tensions.
“Yes, Obasa is presently at the complex with thugs and armed policemen. We are observing what he is doing. But all indications show that he wants to illegally reinstate himself,” a source said.
