Police arrest Clerk, Cashier of Akwa Ibom House of Assembly over alleged refusal to pay APC lawmakers

Barr Onofiok Luke, Speaker, Akwa Ibom House  of Assembly

Men of the Special Squad of the Nigerian Police have stormed Uyo and allegedly arrested Clerk of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mrs . Mandu Umoren.

Mrs. Umogen was allegedly arrested on Friday alongside the Assembly’s Cashier, Mr. Monday Akpan.

They were reportedly arrested over “unpaid working imprest” of five lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress, APC, whose seats were declared vacant by the House in November 2018.

The five sacked APC lawmakers: Idongesit Ituen, Nse Ntuen, Gabriel Tobby, Victor Udofia and Otobong Ndem were said to have written a petition to the police demanding the “forceful” payment of their imprest for the month of December.

Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Odiko Macdon, confirmed custody of the two Assembly officials to Uyo based Inspiration FM.

He said that “those officials were under investigation and not under arrest.”

Recall that Speaker of the House, Barr Onofiok Luke, had cited infringement of Section 109(1) g (2) by the former lawmakers after they dumped the PDP for the APC, before he declared their seats vacant.