Date: 2018-05-20

al Territory."

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Mike Ozekhome has reacted to the transfer of some criminal suspects from Ilorin to Abuja on the orders the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, which has since generated a mixed reaction.

Ozekhome Backs Saraki, Investigation Of Suspects Must Be Carried Out In Kwara

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Mike Ozekhome has reacted to the transfer of some criminal suspects from Ilorin to Abuja on the orders the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, which has since generated a mixed reaction.

NIGERIA NEWS recalls that Saraki had raised an alarm during plenary on Wednesday after he informed his colleagues about a grand plan by the IG to implicate him in the trial of some cult suspects, whose investigation he said had been concluded in Kwara State, but that the IG has now ordered the transfer of the suspects to Abuja.

He said, "My distinguished colleagues, there is an issue which I need to bring to your attention very urgently.

"Last night, my state governor, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, revealed to me information at his disposal that a group of suspects who had been arrested and were in police cells for several weeks in our state for cultism, and whose investigation had been concluded and were about to be under prosecution under the state law on the advice of Director of Public Prosecutions and the Ministry of Justice, have all of a sudden been ordered to be transferred to Abuja this morning.

"The information reaching me, as he received it from the Commissioner of Police, is that they (police) have been directed by the IG to bring them (suspects) to Abuja. With the information that he (Ahmed) has, it is for them to find how to alter their (the suspects') statement already made in Ilorin and try and implicate the state government and particularly myself.

"As we speak now, those suspects are already here in Abuja. These acts, I don't know whether to call it desperation, blackmail or intimidation. All action to undermine our democracy is a recipe for anarchy because we are doing our work by asking officials to obey the law, due process and subject themselves to constituted authority.

"I think it is important that I bring this dangerous development to your attention; the attention of the entire country and the international community to the level of impunity we are undergoing in this country and the danger to our democracy."

"This plot is part of the strategy by IGP Idris to settle scores over the declaration by this honourable chamber that he is not qualified and competent to hold any public office within and outside the country, and that he is an enemy of Nigerian democracy based on his usual disrespectful conduct towards lawful authorities.

"In my own view, this plot is an act of desperation, blackmail, intimidation, abuse of office and crude tactic aimed at turning our country into a police state where top officials cannot be made to obey the law, follow due process and subject themselves to constituted authorities.

"I want to bring this dangerous development to the attention of all of you my colleagues, the entire country and the international community so that you can be aware of the level of impunity in our country and the danger it constitutes to our democracy."

But Ozekhome while reacting to the development, maintained that since it was a state offence, the investigation and prosecution of the alleged suspects were expected to be carried out in Kwara.

He disagreed with the transfer of the suspects to Abuja, noting that since the suspects have made a confessional statement to the Police if the suspects were alleged to be complicit, they were expected to be prosecuted by the state directorate of public prosecutions.

He said, "The suspects were arrested in Kwara State for an offence allegedly committed in Kwara and they made their statements in Kwara and the statements made had been taken by the police and the court registry, which said it had proffered first information referral to the Director of Public Prosecutions for necessary legal advice.

"It is within the purview of the DPP of the state to give the legal advice as to whether or not there is a prima facie case established against the alleged cult members, such as to warrant them to be put in the dock for trial. This is a state offence and under the constitution, there are 36 states in Nigeria with a Federal Capital territory". Ozekhome said the story would be more plausible that the suspects were "merely" being taken from Ilorin to Abuja for the purpose of possibly torturing them to alter their statements, "which are already in the public domain anyway, for the purpose of implicating some people."

"I'm greatly disturbed by the direction of this country, and as we move towards 2019, he asked.