Maina: Senate To Probe Malami, Dambazau, Others In Secret
Following allegations against them by the Senate for being the masterminds of the clandestine return to the country and subsequent appointment at Ministry of Interior of former chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, the upper chamber has concluded plans to probe the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and his counterpart in Interior Ministry, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), in secret.
The position of the Senate was made known, yesterday, at the maiden meeting of the ad-hoc committee charged with the task, led by the chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Services, Senator Emmanuel Paulker (PDP, Bayelsa Central).
At the meeting with Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Maigaji, and officials of Federal Civil Service Commission, Wednesday, the committee categorically said at the commencement of the proceedings, journalists would be barred from covering its activities.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Paulker, who noted that committee would make its findings known at the end of the investigation, however, said the committee would be transparent before, during and after the investigations, adding that nobody would be witch-hunted.
Paulker said: “It should be stated for the purpose of emphasis that the National Assembly, which is constitutionally saddled with the responsibilities to perform this exercise, is not expected to base its conclusion on the preponderance of views being expressed by members of the public, hence the need to conduct this investigative hearing properly to make appropriate recommendations to the Senate. “For the avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to categorically state that we are not on a witch-hunting mission, but to perform our mandate in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended and the Senate Standing Rules.”
