Immigration tragedy: Uncertainty over senate probe report

There were indications in Abuja on Monday that the senate was not giving attention to the report of its committee, which investigated the tragedy that attended the March 15 recruitment of the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Some young job seekers were crushed to death while others sustained injuries in the stampede that occurred at the different centres for the exercise.

The Senate Committee on Interior, led by its chairman, Senator Atiku Bagudu, which was mandated to investigate the matter belatedly laid the report before the senate last week Tuesday.

Bagudu submitted the report two months behind schedule.

However, the submission of the report was not listed on the Order Paper last week Wednesday, thus fueling suspicion that the probe could be a mere academic exercise.

Also, further investigation by Punch correspondent at the senate on Monday revealed that the copy of the report submitted by Bagudu had not been signed by him while members of his committee had yet to see the report.

Attempts by Punch correspondent to gauge the position of the upper chamber on the latest development were unsuccessful on Monday as repeated calls to the mobile phone number of the spokesperson of the senate, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, failed to connect.

Some senators, who spoke on condition of anonymity on the issue, noted that the implication of the non-signing of the report was that the senate would not have the opportunity to debate it and could be swept under the carpet.