First Lady lacks power to summon CP, others —Abike-Dabiri

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Tuesday, stated that the first lady, Patience Jonathan, has no constitutional power to have summoned the Borno State Commissioner of Police.

The lawmaker, however, warned that politicians should not play politics with the abduction of over 200 students of Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, who were abducted on April 14, saying “we (politicians) should not bring politics into Chibok girls’ abduction.”

Honourable Dabiri-Erewa, who addressed a press conference after members at the Tuesday plenary session technically, killed her motion on the alleged arrest and detention of the leader of the “Bring Back Our Girls movement,” Mrs Nyadar Mutah and two others.

Honourable Dabiri-Erewa, while briefing newsmen, noted that “the first lady should not have summoned officials such as a commissioner of police, as summoning him amounts to summoning the Inspector-General Police, and she has no constitutional right to do such.”

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According to her, “this news conference is an attempt to bring a motion on the arrest of three women on Tuesday. I think it is very shocking, unacceptable and in a democracy, we have to ensure that such a thing

does not happen.

“The campaign started by these women has received international acclaim, so I was very shocked that these women were detained for hours in Abuja, as a woman, I feel really ashamed and embarrassed that this is happening in Nigeria in 2014.

“Whether those women are the biological mothers of these girls or not is not the point, we are all women and have to encourage what these women are doing. The motion in the House on Tuesday, which unfortunately was not taken, is cautioning our security agencies not to harass and intimidate innocent Nigerians, especially in a situation like this, where everybody is on edge.”