By Ahmed 'Lateef
A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulrauf Kola Shittu, yesterday recommended the immediate removal of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, from the force.
He alleged that the conduct of the police boss and arrant disregard for the National Assembly prepared sufficient ground for President Muhammadu Buhari to show him the way out.
In an exclusive with The Herald in Ilorin, Shittu, a one-time Commissioner for Works and Transport in Kwara State, said the sack of Police Inspector General would solve substantial parts of the issue, which led to the frosty relationship between the Presidency and the legislature.
The Heralds reports that the National Assembly during a joint session between the Senate and the House of Representatives reaffirmed its earlier vote of no confidence in the police boss following his refusal to honour the Senate's summons and maintained that President Buhari would be held accountable for action of his appointees.
In the 12 points resolution issued after the session, the National Assembly also vowed that it would not hesitate to invoke its constitutional powers in the event that nothing was done.
With the legislative resolution, Shittu believed that the action of Idris had given the police authority a bad image, adding that there was no reason for him to continue to function in office.
He said the excuse advanced by the police boss for his inability to appear before the upper chamber of the National Assembly was not tenable.
Shittu stated that the removal of the IGP would minimise the tension and resolve the growing spat between the Presidency and the legislature.
"My recommendation and advice to Mr President is to sack the Inspector General of Police. That would resolve 50 percent of the requests the National Assembly tabled before the Presidency in its resolutions as well as the perceived frosty relationship between the legislative and the executive.
"I want to say that the Inspector General of Police should be replaced immediately by Mr President; it is one of quick solutions. Once you do that, everything would come down. I insist that the Inspector General of Police should be removed.
"The President sent him on an assignment, he didn't go. The Senate invited him, he didn't go. Who is he policing over? He claimed he was on an official assignment to Bauchi, that is a poor defence. There is no assignment that can be greater than him go and answer the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
"The other day, he said he went to Birinin Gwari or whatever. With all this, Mr President should sack him otherwise he is going to spoil the Police Force, and he is giving this government a bad image. He does not know what he is doing, and it would be better for Mr President to replace him. There are so many people who can be inspector General of Police. Once that is done, half of this problem would be resolved", Shittu said.
On the alleged link of the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed to the April 5, 2018 robbery incident in Offa, the former legislator said police was out to create a sensation as a ploy to fire back at Saraki over the refusal of the Inspector General of Police to appear before the Senate as requested.
Shittu identified the linkage as a smokescreen to score cheap political point, but commended the police unravelling the perpetrators behind the attack, which resulted in the death of more than 33 people.
The former legislator said, "Let me once again commiserate with the families of those who died during the robbery. I'm from Offa and I'm also involved in one of those who lost relations. And we have prayed that we shall never have such a thing again.
"It is unfortunate that such robbery situation occurred. We have been series of robbery in Offa over the period but we have never had it so bad. When it happened and considering the number of people that lost their lives, I was very sure that those who involved, would be caught, because God is alive. The blood of those who died would never let those people rest. And I have been vindicated.
"From what we read about security, you first of all have to believe that there must be an insider; the insider may be in the bank or in the town. But one never thought that the extent of the insider would be what we are now hearing. I want to commend the police for moving swiftly to uncover the perpetrators.
"From my experience, I respect the Nigerian Police and their intelligence. But in this particular case, their intelligence to me, has failed them. If some of the suspects you have arrested are being investigate and the gang leaders are mentioning the names of the Senate President and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, before the police should go public, I believe they should have done more investigation instead of creating a sensation.
"The police have only been able to create a sensation as if the Senate President and the Governor are sponsoring people to go and do armed robbery. I only count it as sensational or unnecessary politicking, which one can attach to the refusal of the IG to go to the Senate as invited.
"I think this is very sad for the country. Police in this particular case have not used their intelligence properly, Nigerians are disappointed. This is political and there is a background that the IG is having a rough edge with the Senate and to me, that is the way it looks. It is political. They want to score political point against the Senate President and the Governor of the State".
