Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has vowed to prosecute any person involved in the killing of a senior police officer and others, who were beheaded during the December 10 legislative rerun elections in Rivers State.
Receiving protesters, who stormed police headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, Idris, assured them of police commitment to ensuring that those involved are brought to book.
Represented by Assistant Inspector General of Police in-charge of Operations, Alkali Baba-Usman, the police boss said investigation into the barbaric act has since commenced.
The police recently paraded some persons suspected to have carried out the killing of DSP Alkali Mohammed.
Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the protesters marched from the Eagle Square to the headquarters.
The group, National Support Groups for Good Governance (NSGGG), urged security agencies in the country to intensify efforts in ensuring that those behind the killings in Rivers did not go unpunished.
Coordinator of the group, Mr. Abdulwahab Ekakhide, who made the appeal, also condemned the recent killings, which affected a senior police officer and some innocent people, including alleged abduction of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“It is painful losing innocent lives that were on national assignment in Rivers for the protection of lives and property.
“We appeal to both police and other security agents to ensure that anybody who masterminded the killings face full wrath of the law,” he said.
Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for holistic investigation into the rerun elections.
The party made the call, yesterday, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye.
The PDP said it is ‘sarcastic’ for Idris to set up a panel to investigate alleged threatening phone calls by Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, and ignore alleged cases of killings and hijack of electoral materials during the rerun poll.
The opposition party said it is only holistic investigation into the entire processes of the poll, carried out by a non-partisan and independent committee that will reveal what actually happened during the election.
The PDP noted that it will resist any selective investigation on issues pertaining to the rerun poll.
“The investigation should be conducted by a ‘non-partisan, unbiased and independent presidential committee’ to avoid turning the truth upside down and making villains out of the victims.
“The IGP should seek solution to the video evidence of the killings and hijacking of electoral materials by the police and other security agencies with some INEC officials during the rerun elections.
“For instance, in Gokana Local Government Area, men of the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were seen in a video shooting sporadically to disperse voters and later made away with ballot boxes.
“The same incident occurred in almost all the polling units in Rivers South East senatorial district.
“Given the state of war in this entire district between security agencies and Rivers people, we still want to know who voted to make up the results declared for the APC,” the party said.
“We wish to also remind Nigerians of the video of two staffers of INEC caught in the act at the home of an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Opobo Town. These men were taken to his by officers of the Nigeria Police and were apprehended while thumb-printing and writing of results in favour of his party, the APC.
“Equally, there is a popular video running in various television stations showing the officer-in-charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Mr. Akin Fakorede in Rivers State who led his team to INEC collation centre in Port Harcourt to hijack election materials.
“These and many more glaring evidences abound of the collaboration between security agencies, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi and the INEC who were seen distorting and disrupting electoral processes in other to win at all cost but for the zeal and determination of the people of Rivers State who stood and defended their votes vehemently in most areas.”
The PDP further stated that “Governor Wike has exonerated himself of the fabricated threatening phone call and the PDP also believes that the sudden appearance of the so-called video is only diversionary from the damning allegations of electoral malpractices by the police, the Nigerian Army, the NSCDC and the INEC in the just-concluded Rivers rerun elections.”
Source: sun
