…As Gov disagrees with IG over beheaded policemen
An Inspector and five sergeants attached to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike have been dismissed by the Nigeria Police Force.
The affected police personnel, ex-Inspector Eyong Victor, ex-Sgts. Peter Ekpo, Oguni Goodluck, Orji Nwoke, Okpe Ezekiel and Tanko Akor were dismissed over alleged misuse of fire arms during the just concluded legislative rerun in the state.
The dismissed operatives were said to have disobeyed senior officers by preventing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from moving election results of Emouha polling unit to the appropriate collation centre, an action that contravenes the provisions of Force Order 237.
Parading the ex-police officers on Friday in Abuja, the Force spokesperson, Donald Awunah said the behaviour of the recalcitrant operatives was a breach of directive and its unacceptable.
According to Awunah, the recalcitrant operatives in the course of discreet investigations were found to have disrespected directives, compromised and engaged in unprofessional acts.
He said, “These aforementioned police personnel while in the convoy of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike on the date of election on December 10, 2016 misused the firearms in their possession contrary to the provisions of Force Order 237.
“The personnel became overzealous, took laws into their hands and opened fire, causing panic in the crowd.
“They joined in storming the Port Harcourt City Council Secretariat and prevented the movement of election results of Emouha polling unit to the appropriate collation centre designated by INEC, in flagrant disregard and disobedience to senior police officers present at the venue.
“They will be prosecuted under the Electoral Act to serve as a deterrent to others.
“Their actions are capable of bringing the entire Nigeria Police Force to disrepute and portray the Force in a very bad light as a lawless organization not guided by the rule of law.”
Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike challenged the Police to state how and where Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Alkali and his driver Sergeant Peter Uchi were murdered during the December 10, 2016 poll.
The controversy over the beheading of two policemen during last month’s Rivers State rerun legislative election deepened with Wike faulting the position of Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris and the army.
He accused the police of trying to cover up information about the incident. According to him, the police have refused to make public the communication that an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Commissioner for Power Mr Augustine Kachi Nwokocha allegedly had with the suspected killers before the DSP was murdered.
Wike spoke yesterday during a meeting with the management of Independent Newspapers Limited at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
He said: “The Police should let the world know where the DSP was killed.
“What is the polling unit where he was killed? The former commissioner of Power who was mentioned by the killers, has he been questioned?
“Where is the call log of that former commissioner as communicated with the killers?
“Have they checked the discussions between the Commissioner and the arrested killers?”
He added: “They know the truth, but they want to cover a lot of things. The army announced that they recovered the uniforms from the forest, was there a polling unit in the forest?”
He also alleged that the state government was being blackmailed.
“The survival of democracy, to a large extent depends on a vibrant media. Certain things happening in the country must be made public by the media,” he said.
The heads of the policemen were cut off from their bodies and thrown into the river, IG Idris told Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who visited the Police Headquarters last month.
The IG had said: “We lost two of our officers on the day of the election. They were kidnapped, their heads were severed from their bodies and their bodies were buried in shallow graves. The vehicle in which they were kidnapped has been recovered.
“We have recovered their bodies but unfortunately, the information we got from suspects arrested revealed that after severing their heads from their body, their heads were thrown into the River.
”So far, we have arrested four suspects and we have recovered some weapons. Investigation is however ongoing because we are expanding the scope of investigation.
“I want to assure this country that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that those found indicted in this investigation, no matter their status, are going to be held responsible for it.
“These people were killed not because of any personal issue but because they answered the call of duty to serve in the election that took place in Rivers and it is very sad that their lives have to end like this
”The situation in Rivers is an indication that leaders and politicians have a lot to contribute to the smoothness of an election and when you have people in leadership who do not take the responsibility of being a leader, this is what happens and they are issues that constitute threat to ordinary Nigerians.”
He declared that the electoral violence witnessed in Rivers state would be the last to be witnessed in any part of the country.
A panel was set up made up of specialists and professionals to probe the killings.
Five suspects were arrested. They are: Noble Nwaerema, Dike Deinpiribo, Valentine Alalibo, Onwunari J. Warmate, and Iloke Stephen.
Police spokesman Don Awunah, said: “The high powered investigation team set up by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris and saddled with the responsibility of investigating and the circumstances surrounded it.”
