Nigeria Senate invasion: Mace found dumped under flyover

Search teams were alerted late Thursday that a passer-by had sighted the mace under the road, Aremu Adeniran, spokesman for the state police said in a statement.Nigeria's Senate was put on high alert after a group of armed men intruded a session at the Senate Wednesday.The men were allegedly led by suspended lawmaker Ovie Omo-Agege who seized the object from the upper legislative chambers, a Senate spokesman said. Laws cannot be passed by Nigeria's Senate if the mace is absent as it is a symbol of authority binding decisions taken on the Senate floor.The incident was branded "an act of treason" by Aliyu Abdullahi, a Senate spokesman who said the lawmaker was trying to overthrow a branch of the Federal Government of Nigeria.Nigeria's Senate leader Bukola Saraki also condemned the robbery calling it "an assault on the country's democracy."CNN has so far not been able to reach Senator Omo-Agege. However he posted on social media denying that he was arrested. He said in a tweet: "I was never arrested!!! I merely left with the Police who wanted to hear my perspective on the matter. Told them my perspective and left immediately after." The police spokesman Adeniran told CNN the state command was probing the circumstances that led to the robbery attack."We can't name the perpetrators till we conclude our investigations," he told CNN Thursday.

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