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  • Hold IG, APC responsible should anything happen to me, my family – Saraki tells Nigerians

    Hold IG, APC responsible should anything happen to me, my family – Saraki tells Nigerians

    Senate President Bukola Saraki has raised the alarm, alleging threat to his safety and that of the members of his immediate family in his home state, Kwara.

    The Senate President noted that if anything happens to him or that of the members of his family, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris should be held responsible.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja on Friday, Saraki also fingered thugs allegedly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the police as instigators.

    Saraki, who is the Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, described the alleged conspiracy against him by the thugs and the police as sinister, uncivilised and unfortunate.

    He said: “I call you today to bring to your attention the sad development in my home state, Kwara State, and the role of the security agencies in giving cover to people who are unleashing violence on our people because they are surprised and cannot understand how and why the people continue to give massive and overwhelming support to the PDP across the state.

    “Also Yesterday (Thursday), these same APC thugs shielded by policemen went to my family quarters in Agbaji in Ilorin and vandalized houses, shops and inflicted wounds with matchete on three people.

    “All these destructions took place in the presence of policemen who came with them but watched without any care, as the APC thugs and supporters unleashed violence on our people.

    “For me, personally, I believe the decision to attack people and properties in my family ancestral compound is a direct affront and attack on my person.

    “And whatever signals these APC elements with support from the police believe they are sending is definitely sinister, uncivilized and unfortunate”.

    He expressed regrets that the police have continued to show undisguised hostility toward him and his supporters in the state.

    According to him, this latest round of violence was part of efforts to jeopardise and undermine his personal security and that of his immediate and larger family members.

    Narrating his ordeals further, Saraki said: “Three incidents will illustrate what I am saying to you. Yesterday, after the APC concluded their campaigns in Ilorin, some of their supporters and thugs moved around town and in areas like Adewole/Adeta, Ile Otan and Ubandawaki/Pakata where they saw our people gathered holding their weekly ward meetings.

    “They disrupted the meetings by shouting their party slogan and when our people responded by mentioning our own slogan, they fired gunshots into their midst in Adewole/Adeta.

    “They also inflicted matchete cuts on some of them. As a result of this attack, two people suffered bullet wounds”.

    The former Kwara State Governor said reports of the attacks were filed in relevant police stations in Ilorin but expressed doubts that anything tangible and constructive would come out of the reports.

    He stated further that as part of the plot, the police, under the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, had, on Thursday, commenced the transfer of Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) out of Kwara State.

    Saraki called on Nigerians and the entire world to hold the IGP responsible if anything untoward happens to him and members of his family.

    “While the police are free to take decisions on the deployment of their personnel, we found the postings in Kwara State strange and more than a mere coincidence.

    “It should also be noted that IGP has posted three different Commissioners of Police to Kwara State in the last six months.

    “In fact, the previous and current Commissioner of Police in the state got strict instructions from the IGP not to relate or engage with the Senate President,” Saraki added.

    According to him, the usual practice has been that the Commissioner of Police personally ensures the security of the Senate President whenever he visits his home state.

    He said all his predecessors were accorded that security cover whenever they visited their home states and that he also enjoyed it in his first year in office from 2015 to 2016.

    Saraki expressed apprehensions over his personal safety as the ward to ward electioneering campaign is about to begin across the state.

    According to him: “We need to make it clear to the entire world that now that ward to ward campaign is about to begin in the state and I am set to participate in that grassroots campaign, as I have always done, nobody is sure what instructions Mr. Idris has given to the police command in the state.

    “Thus, the entire world should hold the IGP responsible if anything untoward happens to members of my family and myself.”

    Deploring the role of the IGP in the entire plot, Saraki continued, “Do not forget that before now, this same IGP has tried several tricks to implicate me in some criminal charges.

    “First, he arrested some cultists and was about to compel them to claim they worked for me. We exposed the trick early enough and the media also pointed out holes in his story. He quickly withdrew that.

    “Later, he went on to the Offa robbery case and politicised the investigation in order to rope me.

    “In the process of forcing suspects to implicate me, the principal suspect died in their custody.

    “He has also not succeeded with that plot. Who knows what else he may have planned.

    “Now, that full campaign is on, which requires my going round, I want the world to hold him personally responsible if anything happens to me.”

  • 2019: Opposition parties threaten nationwide protests should Buhari extends IG’s tenure beyond Jan 15

    Opposition political parties in the country on Sunday have resolved to begin nationwide protests should President Muhammadu Buhari retains the incumbent Inspector Gemeral of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris beyond January 15 when he (Idris) would have attained 60 years in service and also the compulsory 35 years in service.

    The parties, on the platform of the Coalition of United Political Parties, hinged their decision on the claim that the current IG, Ibrahim Idris, ceased to be a policeman since January 3 after 35 years in service.

    The coalition’s position was contained in a statement by its first national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, in Abuja.

    Ugochinyere said the position of the IG was currently vacant since Idris was deemed to have retired having served for 35 years, adding the nation’s constitution did not make provision for a former police officer to be an IG.

    He claimed that by parading himself as the IG after January 3, Idris was committing a crime of impersonation, describing the act as a threat to national security.

    Ugochinyere said the protests would start once Idris was seen in police uniform around the force headquarters from January 15.

    He added that the protests would be held in front of the police command headquarters of every state and would continue till the right thing was done.

    The CUPP’s spokesperson called Buhari’s attention to the provision of Section 215(1)a of the 1999 Constitution which he said held that the President could only appoint a serving police officer as the IG.

    Ugochinyere said, “This means that with the reaching of the mandatory retirement age of 35 years of active service on January 3, 2019 and the mandatory retirement age of 60 years while in service by the IG (which comes up on January 15, 2019), the IG is constitutionally barred from being retained or reappointed as the IG as he is no longer a serving police officer.

    “His continued stay in office is illegal and an act of impersonation as there is no legal or documentary evidence to back up his stay as the IG.

    “We call on President Buhari to be courageous to announce the replacement and not bow to the pressure to cement illegality in the core of the nation’s security architecture due to his desperation to rig himself back to power knowing he has been rejected by the Nigerian people.

    “The uncertainty in the leadership of the police in such auspicious moment emboldens persons with sinister motives and demoralises senior officers of the force due to this abrupt and unlawful halt to their career progression.

    “The law is clear on who can be appointed as the Inspector-General of Police and who cannot be appointed as Inspector-General of Police and Mr Ibrahim Idris is now in the latter group.

    “It is flowing from this and to save our dear country from further drift from a government that lacks capacity to provide leadership to our country that the secretariat of CUPP hereby directs all coalition members in the 36 states to begin preparation for nationwide protests from January 15 if the retired IG is seen dressed in police uniform around the Force Headquarters.

    “The protests will be in front of the police command headquarters of every state and shall be continuous till the right thing is done.”

    He added, “During the protests, there shall be a declaration that since Mr Ibrahim Idris is no longer a police officer, he cannot be addressed as the IG and a call to him to steer clear of the Force Headquarters.

    “By January 15, Mr Ibrahim Idris would have attained both 35 years (January 3, 2019) in service and 60 years of age (January 15, 2019) and he would have been roundly unqualified to occupy the office of the Inspector-General of Police.

    “Finally, we call on President Buhari that he should realise now that he would be held personally responsible if there is a breakdown of law and order, loss of lives and property if he continues down this path of noxious plots to rig himself into power. A word is enough for the wise!”

    On its part, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, asked the President to ensure that Idris proceed on retirement after his statutory age of 60 years on January 15, 2019.

    HURIWA on Sunday in a release by its National President, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said, “The IG, who ought to retire on reaching the statutory retirement age of 60 on January 15, must proceed on pre-retirement leave immediately. We suspect that he has been positioned to use his operatives to manipulate the conduct of the February elections in favour of the authorities.”

    Meanwhile, the Presidency in a reaction said the IG still had a few more days for his tenure to expire.

    A Presidency source stated, “The IG has a few more days. He has a few days still.”

    When the source was reminded that Idris turned 35 years in service on January 3, the source asked, “Was it 3rd?”

    The IG will turn 60 years in service on January 15 by which time he would have met both retirement requirements on length of service and age.

    By the service rule, an officer is deemed to have completed service if he has spent 35 years in service or turns 60 “whichever comes first.”

  • IG recalls Imo CP, 14 others two days after their redeployment

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has recalled Dasuki Galadanchi to Imo State as the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command two days after he was transferred out of the state.

    Also recalled are three Deputy Commissioners of Police and 11 Assistant Commissioners of Police redeployed to various states of the federation by the Police chief.

    The IGP had, on Wednesday, redeployed Galadanchi to Bauchi State and posted the current Commissioner of Police in charge of the Kogi State command, Ali Janga, to the state.

    But 48 hours later,the IGP reversed himself and cancelled all the transfers.

    It was gathered that a signal came on Friday morning stating that all the transferred Police officers should return to their former offices with immediate effect.

    One of the affected Police officers who preferred not to be mentioned told our correspondent that he was racing back to the state to resume duty.

    The visibly elated Police chief said that there was power play among top politicians from the state.

    Meanwhile, at the Command headquarters in Owerri, Police officers who were in a happy mood were seen discussing what many of them called “a serious power play.”

  • 2019: PDP rejects tenure extension, insists IG must retire Jan 15

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, retire on January 15, the IG’s 60th birthday.

    The party said this was one of the ways the President could convince Nigerians and the international community about his commitment to have free, fair and acceptable elections this year.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this while answering questions in Abuja on Wednesday, said there was no need to extend the tenure of the IG.

    He said the police force as an institution had many officers that were capable of leading the NPF.

    There are insinuations that the Presidency is plotting to extend the tenure of Idris because of his alleged closeness to Buhari and the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress.

    However, the PDP said that President Buhari must show evidence that he would match his words with action, just as he said in his New Year message that the coming elections would not be a do-or-die affair.

    Nevertheless, Ologbondiyan said that if the APC and the President were not planning anything negative, they should allow Idris to retire.

    He said, “One of the ways to demonstrate or show that he (President Buhari) is committed to free, fair and credible elections, is not to extend the tenure of the IG, who is due for retirement this month.

    “He has said that he is committed to having transparent elections. He needs to tell Nigerians by his actions, and not merely with words of mouth.”

     

  • Nigeria currently has 334,000 policemen on duty – IG

    The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr Ibrahim Idris said has that about 334, 000 policemen are currently policing Nigeria.

    Idris made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2018 Safe School Leadership Empowerment Conference and Awards.

    He was represented by CP Olusegun Odumosu of the Inspectorate Department at the Force Headquarters.

    The police boss said that in spite of the challenges confronting the force, it had evolved modern strategies, principles and modules to keep up with security demands.

    He noted that kidnapping remained one of the most disturbing crimes plaguing the Nigerian society, adding that schools had been repeatedly targeted by kidnappers.

    Idris attributed kidnappings to settlement of political conflicts bordering on struggle for power.

    He said that it was a collective responsibility of all Nigerians to facilitate a holistic security approach to reverse the disturbing trend.

    “In view of the need to make our schools safe, especially in the task of providing and enabling and conducive learning environment for the students,”he said.

    He called for a 24-hour security protection in addition to round the clock surveillance activities and motorised patrol of the school vicinity.

    The I-G also called for the introduction of community policing strategy, adding that it would reduce cases of kidnapping.

    He noted that it was the responsibility of all stakeholders in the education and security sectors to continue to work hand in hand.

    Idris said that with the increased in funding for the police by the Federal Government, the force would be better postponed to discharge its duties effectively.

    He commended the organisers of the conference, Safe School Academy International, a Non-Governmental organisation (NGO) over the initiative.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other organisers are: Exam Ethics Marshals International and Ethics Resources Centre Nigeria.

    The conference also had in attendance representatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCD), military, Fire Service, school proprietors among others.( NAN)

  • Offa Robbery: Release Kwara Gov’s aide or go to jail, court tells Police IG

    A High Court sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital presided over by Justice Ibrahim Yusuf, has threatened to imprison the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim, for alleged contempt of court proceedings.

    The IGP was alleged to have disobeyed the order of the court to release Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s Personal Assistant on Political Matters, Mr. Olalekan Alabi.

    The threat was contained in a Notice of Consequences of Disobedience of Order of Court (Form 48) dated 10 August, 2018.

    The order, which was made available to journalists in Ilorin on Thursday, was signed by the Registrar of the Court and addressed to the IGP, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

    Yusuf said, “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of the High Court of Justice of Kwara State delivered on the 1st of August, 2018, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”

    Alabi has been in Police custody in Abuja since May 30, following his arrest over his alleged link to Offa banks robbery suspects.

    However, Yusuf had, on Wednesday, 1 August, 2018, granted Alabi an interim bail after declaring that his continued detention was illegal and not justifiable.

    While granting him an interim bail of N20m with two reliable sureties in like sum, Yusuf held that the Police had failed to justify why they had kept the governor’s aide in detention for over two months.

    But despite the court order, the Police had refused to release Alabi from their custody.

  • IG offers N5m bounty for information on killers of Abuja, Edo policemen

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has offered a N5 million reward for information on the killers of seven policemen in the Federal Capital Territory on July 2 and the murder of four cops in Edo State on July 14.

    The IG urged anyone with useful tips to come forward, stating that any information given would be treated with strict confidentiality.

    The seven policemen were on routine ‘stop and search’ duty when unknown gunmen attacked and killed them, taking away some of their firearms. Five suspects have, however, been apprehended in connection with the incident.

    The latest killing of policemen reportedly occurred in Sabon Gida, Ora, in Edo State last Saturday where four policemen were shot dead and their patrol vehicles razed by suspected criminals.

    The force spokesman, acting DCP, Jimoh Moshood, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, explained that police detectives needed credible information from the public to arrest the killers.

    He said, “In order to arrest the other suspects still at large in the first incident, the Force is desirous of more credible information from the public, and hereby pledges a reward of N5m to any member of the public that provides useful information that leads to the arrest of the remaining perpetrators of the ambush attack and killing of seven policemen in Abuja or the recent ambush and killing of four policemen on patrol at Sabon Gida, Ora, in Edo State on July 14, 2018.”

    “The Force wishes to assure that the informant will be protected and his/her identity secured,” the police added.

    The statement said the IG had also ordered Commissioners of Police and their supervising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to beef up security in their Areas of Responsibilities.

    They were equally mandated to embark on massive raids of criminal hideouts and flashpoints across the country to forestall any further attack.

    “The IG further placed the Commissioners of Police and police personnel nationwide on red alert and directs 24 hours crime prevention and visibility patrol of flash and vulnerable points in their jurisdictions,” the force said.

    The police spokesman revealed that the IG had directed the prompt payment of the entitlements of the deceased officers.

  • IG sets up crack team to investigate killing of seven policemen in Abuja

    The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has set up a seven-man team of crack detectives, Scene of Crime Experts and Technical Intelligence Unit of the Force to investigate the killing of seven policemen while on duty in Abuja on Monday by suspected criminals.

    The force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that the team which was inaugurated on Tuesday is headed by a seasoned investigator, Bala Ciroma, a Commissioner of Police.

    He would be assisted by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the IGP Special Tactical Squad, DCP, Department of Operations, FCT Police Command and DCP, Police Forensic Department.

    Other team members include DCP, Police Central Criminal Registry, Assistant Commissioner of Police, IGP Intelligence Response Team, ACP, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Chief Superintendent of Police, IGP Secretariat.

    The statement explained that the team had already commenced an investigation which is expected to be concluded in 21 days.

    It said, “The mandate of the specialised team includes a thorough and discreet investigation of the ambush attack and killing of seven policemen while on duty on July 2, 2018, by armed robbers/bandits at Galadimawa roundabout, Federal Capital Territory.

    “The team is to unravel, arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killings and to detect the motives behind the ambush and killing.”

    Moshood stated that the team would work with the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory in the investigation of the incident, adding that it would take over a further probe into the crime from the FCT Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.

    He noted that the investigation team would take any other instruction from the IG in ensuring the prompt resolution of the crime to bring the perpetrators to justice.

    “The team will obtain evidence, receive complaints and information from public-spirited individuals or any other member of the public with useful information that can assist them in their investigation.

    “The team is expected to proffer strategies and recommendations to forestall similar attacks in the future,” the statement added.

  • Presidency summons IG over Police protest

    The Presidency on Monday summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, over the reported protest embarked on by police personnel in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday.

    The policemen were said to have protested over non-payment of their monthly salaries and allowances.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the IGP was seen heading towards the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, at the presidential villa, Abuja.

    A source at the Presidential villa, who preferred to remain anonymous, told NAN that the IGP was in the villa to brief the Presidency on the Police protest.

    NAN reports that the Police in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, dismissed the media report, claiming that the policemen only made inquiries on their allowances and salaries before returning to their duty posts.

    According to the statement, the delay in payment is due to late passage of the Appropriation Act, adding that with its assent by President Buhari, the issue will soon be addressed.

  • Senate can’t summon Buhari, IG, others – Falana

    A human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on Thursday said the Senate don’t have the constitutional powers to summon President, or the Inspector General of Police to appear before it.

    He said this when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, on Thursday.

    Falana quoted sections of the Constitution to explain that the President or the governor of a state cannot be summoned by the National Assembly.

    He said, “There is no such power given to NASS by the Constitution to summon everybody.

    “It has given the President the discretion to address the National Assembly either jointly or separately on any matter of national importance.”

    “The Senate didn’t get it right this time around. By virtue of Section 67 of the Constitution, the National Assembly or either chamber can summon a Minister when the affairs of his or her ministries are under consideration.

    “The only other occasion where a public officer can be summoned by the National Assembly is when proceedings are ongoing to expose corruption (Section 88) and when a law is being debated either with a view to amending it or to have a new law entirely.”

    However, the senior advocate stated that the lawmakers can fix areas of the Constitution perceived as weak, rather than going beyond its limits as such actions can subject the institution to ridicule.