NIGERIA (Abuja)- The Senate, yesterday, resolved to summon the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed, to give situation report of events happening in Rivers State.

This follows deliberations on a motion titled “Recent shooting and disruption of political rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State”, sponsored by Senator Wilson Ake (Rivers West) and 47 others.

Meanwhile, there was uproar at the plenary during the consideration of a motion titled when Senator Alkali Jajere (Yobe South) sprunged up from his seat to protest an alleged abusive comment directed at Senator Ahmed Lawan by Senator James Manager (Delta South).

Jajere was said to have been infuriated by alleged unprintable remarks Manager made against Lawan.

He said the proceedings will not continue until Senator Manager must have apologised to Lawan.

For more than 10 minutes, plenary was disrupted as some senators battled to calm Jajere who charged furiously at Manager, while other senators formed a ring around Senator Manager – apparently to ward off any possible attack on him.

A group of senators prevailed on Manager to apologise to Lawan and also reminded him (Manager) that the proceedings were being televised live.

The Delta South lawmaker left his seat, shook hands with and embraced Lawan.

In his remark, Senate President, David Mark, urged his colleagues to always practice what they preach: “Can I appeal that we cannot be telling people dialogue, dialogue and then we want to fight.

“Tempers rose just now; I hope it does not rise again. We have to be careful about the situation in Rivers State,” he added.

Senator Manager had, through a Point of Order, informed his colleagues that the Rivers State House of Assembly was still under the control of the National Assembly and he was surprised to hear that the House sat somewhere in December to approve the 2014 budget.

He (Manager) said that Mark informed the Senate that he sent the Committee on Police Affairs on a fact-finding mission to Rivers State after the alleged disruption of a pro- Governor Chibuike Amaechi rally on January 12.

He wondered the import of a motion on Rivers when the Senate had not been properly briefed.

During his motion, Senator Ake said he was deeply disturbed that on January 12, the relative peace the people of Rivers State were enjoying was interrupted by an attack on the people of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and its environs by policemen who stormed a Save Rivers Movement (SRM) programme.

Speaking further, Senator Ake told the plenary that the police dispersed the peaceful crowd that gathered at Rivers State College of Arts and Science, with tear gas, guns and other weapons, during which a serving Senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District, Magnus Ngei Abe, was shot at and hit with rubber bullets by the police who stormed the venue of the rally with unprecedented concentration of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and heavy presence of men and officers.

Ake also said the state under the present police leadership has witnessed “too many simultaneous attacks professionally unleashed on the ordinary citizens”.

“The increasing and continuous attack, disruption and arbitrary obstruction of any peaceful gathering in Rivers State, be it political, religious or civil meetings by any of our security agencies will further create more anxiety, panic and eventual loss of confidence in the security system, which is meant to protect and defend all and sundry”.

He urged the Senate to condemn the unjustifiable disruption and interruption of the proposed peaceful rally and gathering of Save Rivers Movement (SRM) by men of the Rivers State Police Command, occasioned by sporadic gun shots and tear gas on January 12.

He also prayed the Senate to invite the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed, to come and brief the Senate and give a situation report of the Rivers State crisis.