There was a mild altercation, Tuesday morning between journalists and the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms when reporters accredited to cover the Induction of Senators and members-elect were stopped from entering the executive hall of the international conference centre, Abuja.
The executive hall is the venue of the series of lectures organised for the new lawmakers which commenced on Monday.
In the course of the altercation, the Sergeant-At-arm told Media Talk Africa, News Agency of Nigeria and Thisday correspondents that he was instructed by the head of Sergeant-At-Arms to allow only a few journalists into the venue.
“Our head instructed me to allow few journalists into the Hall and am done with the few I allowed.
When the correspondents insisted on having authorised permits to cover the event and showed their accreditation tags, the Sergeant-At-Arms began hauling insults at them while his colleagues hailed his uncouth actions.
“All these useless journalists, something is wrong with their heads, he insulted the pressmen.”
Shortly after the fracas the Head of Sergeant-At-Arms, Air Commodore Sanni Abdullahi (Rtd) came out with a member-elect and was approached by Media Talk Africa correspondent.
After a brief discussion with the new lawmaker, he simply said,
“I will attend to you”, and he walked away.
Other NASS staff on the accreditation table who were busy attending to the new lawmakers expressed disappointment at the behaviour of the Sergeant-At-Arms, wondering if they previously had issues with journalists.
