National Assembly No Longer Safe – Reps Spokesman After Office Was Burgled

Benjamin Kalu, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media, has said the National Assembly Complex is no longer safe for lawmakers.
Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, stated this after disclosing that his office in the legislative complex was burgled during the recess for lawmakers triggered by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the subsequent lockdown imposed on the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the federal lawmaker, he and his aides only discovered the tampering of his office after they arrived at the National Assembly on Tuesday for the House’s plenary.
Describing the incident as “surprising” and “shocking”, the House spokesperson said his team is still trying to decipher the intention behind the break-in of his office.

“It is actually surprising to see that somebody broke into my office. We are still trying to assess (the situation) to know what the intention of breaking into my office was.

“Was it to take an important document out or to check if we are leaving money or any valuables in the office, or to plant any security or spying device?

“Honestly, I don’t know but I have asked my aides to register it with the sergeant-at-arms. It is scary to come into your office and find this,” he told journalists at the complex.

He said the burglary is one of the consequences of COVID-19, and that it never happened when the lawmakers were always around before they shut down.

“We can’t pin it down, whether it was just breaking in for stealing or breaking in to spy on what the national assembly is doing through my office.

“But whatever it is, I am sure the security agencies will get to the root of it. The National Assembly is no longer safe,” Kalu said.