Okiro Implores IGP To Investigate Policemen Found Wanting During Presidential Election
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr Mike Mbama Okiro has implored Inspector General of Police of Nigeria (IGP) Mr Alkali Baba to to diligently investigate and decisively deal with security operatives who watch aimlessly while election violence is being committed in their presence by hired gunmen, political thugs and sundry election miscreants and offenders.
Okiro who made the appeal while addressing journalist in Lagos on Thursday said the criminals and their cohorts and principals should be punished if indicted for maligning and downgrading the image of Nigeria and ridiculing the good name of honest and hard-working Nigerians in the International Community.
The former IGP equally urged social media and news reporters to be very vigilant and aggressive in capturing video clips of any form of election violence involving armed gangs and thugs hired by their principals to disrupt the polls the coming Governoship and House Assembly election.
“Persons, no matter how highly or lowly placed, threatening or forcing Nigerians to vote for candidates that are not their choice are not exempted, including policemen and other security operatives who helplessly watch such irregularities and violence being perpetrated. “Such social media report should be explicit with the state, local government, ward, polling unit or specific domain where such incidents are witnessed.
“The report should also be personally signed and bear the name and phone number of the reporter with date and time of the incident for purposes of authentication during investigation, so that it will not be dismissed as fake news by investigators that may be detailed to probe further into the matter,” he stated.
He lammented that what strikes him most and which he considered objectionable and roundly condemnable, as a trained security officer is the election violence and voter-intimidation, especially the use of gunmen and thugs to harass, scare away voters and election officials, as well as the snatching of ballot boxes.
“Sadly, some policemen and other security operatives were accused of watching helplessly while the violence was orchestrated. In some domains, certain persons were strongly accused of dishing out threats to voters to vote for certain candidates against their conscience or face dire consequences, like being driven away from the parts of the country they chose to live and do their businesses.
“In some other areas, the properties of Nigerians are being willfully destroyed ostensibly to cow them to vote for candidates that are not their choice. Should such conducts still be trailing Nigeria in the 21st Century? The answer is absolutely NO!,” he stated.
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Posted by News Rangers
on Mar 11 2023. Filed under National.
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