The Senate has constituted a six-member ad hoc committee, headed by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe to investigate drug allegations against the Deputy Leader, Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru (APC Kwara South).
This followed a ‘personal explanation’ by Ashiru under Order 42, of the Senate rules, in which the lawmaker said his privileges were breached by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NDLEA had said Senator Ashiru’s house in Ilorin, Kwara State, was raided and consignment of drugs recovered.
Chairman of the agency, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.) made the allegation during a press conference on Monday.
Represented by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Chairman also said that three of Ashiru’s aides were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced, including, one sent to jail in June this year.
During plenary last week, Ashiru had accused the NDLEA of corruption and compromise.
While seeking protection from the Senate on Tuesday, he described the NDLEA allegations as malicious, saying it was an attempt to malign him and stop him from contributing to debates on the floor of the Senate.
Ashiru said: “I am 68 years now. I can assert that I don’t take alcohol; I don’t take drugs. I don’t get myself involved in these things; I don’t take cannabis”.
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio backed his colleague, saying, “injury to one is injury to all.”
Akpabio further said: “Anything you say here is covered by privilege; it is covered by immunity. In the Senate, we see you as a gentleman to the core”.
He charged the ad hoc committee to summon the leadership of NDLEA to appear before the Senate to justify the allegations.
Akpabio threatened that failure to justify the allegations would be met with drastic action against the NDLEA.
