Nigeria Content Online

Lawmakers in
Nasarawa State have thrown out a motion by a member, Lagi Innocent
(Labour Party, Wamba) for members to unanimously condemn the use of
live ammunition on citizens of the state during the protest that
trailed the presidential rally of the PDP in Lafia, the state capital,
last week.

Some people were killed when security agents opened fire on demonstrators who pelted the PDP campaign team with stones.

Mr Lagi moved
his motion to counter an earlier one moved by Mohammed Onawo (Doma
North, PDP) who sought a resolution of the House to condemn the attack
on President Goodluck Jonathan when he flagged off his North-Central
zonal campaign rally in Lafia.

Majority of the
members supported Mr Onawo’s motion and the Speaker, Musa Ahmed
Mohammed said the House resolution should be sent to the state
governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma for him to deliver the message to the
presidency.

But Mr Lagi
stood up, insisting that the issue at stake was the use of bullets on
Nigerians by the police and soldiers when some supporters of the CPC
governorship candidate, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura poured onto the streets
last Wednesday to protest the arrest of Al-Makura by security agents.

Waste of life

But the labour
lawmaker, in his submission before the house, said it is condemnable
that armed security men should use life bullets on Nigerian citizens
who came out to protest the fall out of the attack on the president.

But his plea was rejected by members, who rather condemned his motion.

Mr Onawo later said yesterday on phone that he was undeterred by the response of his colleagues.

“Yes, I stood up to condemn the action of armed security men who
shot the kids on Lafia streets. If protesters threw stones and sachet
water, why would they come back with life bullets and kill? It means
they came back in retaliation. It is condemnable,” he said.