The umbrella body of Ndigbo, the Ohanaeze, has described the Tuesday’s siege at the National Assembly by security operatives as equivalent of a coup as Ohanaeze urges the government to treat it as such.

The President General of the Ohanaeze, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, said that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was right in describing the act as a breach of national security but said that all the characters who participated in the act either directly or indirectly should face the law to act as a deterrent to overzealous operatives.

Chief Nwodo charged the Vice President to go beyond the sacking of the Director General of the Department of state security DSS and institute a high powered investigation to fish out all the culprits.

The president General said in a statement he signed and released on Wednesday that it is not possible for the DSS alone to carry out the siege without the involvement of the Police.

He doubted the denial of Police on the matter as he urged the VP to critically examine the role of the Police and the claim that it did not participate a possible afterthought only after the ‘coup’ failed.

The Ohanaeze PG said that the embarrassment this act brought to the nation is enormous and should not be treated with levity.

“If the state security can just wake up and seal up the National Assembly housing the country’s parliament they could go further one day to overthrow government after discussing with some interest groups,” he said.

Chief Nwodo said that Ohanaeze has carefully followed the developments at the National Assembly and feels that the executive is overbearing.

“As a constitutionally recognised arm of Government with its own statutory responsibilities, if there is a disagreement within them, they should be allowed to resolve it themselves unless there is violence before the security can be involved,” he said.

The Ohanaeze leader went further to say that the executive must allow the legislature to handle their affairs themselves in the most congenial atmosphere.

Chief Nwodo finally noted that democracy would be better served if all the arms of the government are allowed to operate without undue interference from each other.

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