Twenty-five out of the 26 members of the house had converged on the assembly earlier today (Thursday) in compliance with a High Court order barring the National Assembly from assumin the functions of the assembly.
The police fired voleys of tear gas to disperse the lawmakers.
The lawmakers had gone to the House of Assembly to resume their legislative duties following a Federal High Court Abuja rulling, which voided the resolution of the National Assembly to take over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The court faulted the decision on the ground that the National Assembly cannot assume the law making functions of the House of Assembly when there were no facts that the assembly was unable to carry out its functions.
In nullifying the resolution on Wednesday, Justice Abubakar Mohammed restrained the Senate, the Senate President, the House of Representatives and the Speaker of the House of Representatives from assuming the law making functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The court also ruled that “the National Assembly does not have the powers to direct the Inspector-General of Police to re-deploy the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, or any other Police officer in the River State Police Command”.
POLICE EXPLANATION
Leader of the Police team and Commander of the Port Harcourt Area Command, Mr Aliyu Garba, said his office did not receive any order from the court to re-open the Assembly Complex and as such, could not allow anybody into the Assembly Complex.
He maintained that their action was to avert the breakdown of law and order in the state.
Recall that the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex was sealed following the violent clashes between pro and anti Amaechi lawmakwers on July 9 and 10, this year.
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