By IHEANACHO NWOSU, Abuja
The controversy trailing last year’s assassination of the Principal Secretary of Edo State governor, Olaitan Oyerinde took a new turn yesterday as the House of Representatives began a probe into police’s handling of the murder case.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole last week, at the launch of Police Code of Conduct and Professional Standard organised by the force in Abuja, accused the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Mr. Peter Gana, of displaying gross professional incompetence in the handling of the case. He alleged that the DIG was either covering up the murder or had a hand in it.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has dismissed the allegation. The House, however, yesterday raised the issue and resolved to probe police’s handling of the murder. Raising the motion under Matter of Urgent National Importance, Pally Iriase and Samson Osagie, drew the attention of the Chamber to the inconsistencies from the police trailing investigation into the killing. They noted that the shoddiness in the investigation showed in the report DIG Gana and his team sent to the office of the state’s Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
They recalled that the State Security Service (SSS), after Olaitan’s murder, arrested six suspects and handed them to the police . They said the suspects gave a “graphic description of how the crime was committed and the SSS found on them an I-Pad, cell phone and laptop belonging to Olaitan and the wedding ring of the victims’s brother-in-law.” The lawmakers regretted that despite taking the suspects from the SSS and their case file, the police have “curiously refused to arraign the suspects.” They prayed the House to “compel the police to immediately arraign the six suspects arrested, investigated and handed over to them by the SSS.”
The House “mandated its Committees on Justice and Police Affairs to thoroughly investigate the allegation and make appropriate recommendation to the House within 14 days.” When the prayers were put to vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, the lawmakers agreed that the matter be investigated immediately by the two committees.
They, however, declined the request that the House compels the police to arrest and hand over the six suspects to the SSS. The Speaker ruled that it would be judgmental to pronounce the police guilty when the House was yet to investigate the allegation levelled against the force by the governor.
9ja police,one day the hunter will be hunted,chikenna.
Police men are the worst criminals we have in this contry. If u are not frustrated by the police b/4, u may not understand what Oshiomole is saying. My blood brother is undergoing a similar thing in the hands of police men in Ekwulobia, Aguata LGA, Anambra state. A thief who confessed that he has stolen over 15 motorcycles in Ekwulobia metropolis alone (my brother’s motor cycle inclusive) when he was arrested by vigilante group has been set free by the polce. The vigilante group handed over the criminal to the police together with two recovered motorcycles as exhibit. At this point, the buyer of these stolen goods from Oturkpo, Benue state who base in PH was trailed and arrested by the police. The arrival of this big masqurade into this case brought a dramatic change into the investigation whole process. The police refused to charge this case to court till today despite all pleads by the victims. What governor Adams Oshiomole is saying about the Nigerian criminals called police is nothing but the whole truth. It is their way. Bastards.
I strongly welcome the house decision to probe police handling of the case. If it is true some people were arrested who confessed to the crime, and were handed over to the people who failed to live up to their duties, it shows police irresponsibilities, and ig must be punished for that
it is the realisation that the police will always behave this way that some groups take laws into their hands via jungle justice. Remember the choba 4 ??.
Police should do more in house work to win the confidence of the public. Government on the other hand should look into the welfare package of the force; considering the recently published story on Police Command College Ikeja as an eg:
May his soul rest in peace, amen.
9ja plc ar wost dan arm rbber if dey can do dis to a gvnr den commn man is finish mr prsdn mr ig how do u want ngrn to bliv dos arm rbbrs cal police most of kdnpng kilg of inncnt soul everyday is there justice in 9ja o
When I say Nigeria has no police but a certified and uniformed armed robbers some people will tell me to be more gentle with them. Imagine a police IG defending a crime committed by his junior.
Tell me what part of the government we can trust. They are worst and nothing can be done about it apart from REVOLUTION.
Nogerian youth should stand and fight against these murderers .
As it was in the beginning, so shall it be for ever and ever. It seems that Christians prayer was said for the Nigeria Police. Forty years ago, we were attacked by armed robbers on Rotimi Street, Surulere, Lagos, between the hours of 4am and 5.30 am. Despite our street not far from the Surulere police station where the attack was reported whilst it was still going on, the police did not come on time. About 5.30 when they eventually came, the robbers seeing them, fled and took to the railway line which is parallel to our street. In doing this, they dropped off some items hurriedly on the rail line which the policemen collected and took to their station, my Yashika camera and other peoples’ miscellaneous items were amongst. Later in the morning after we have made statements, identified our stuffs that were jettisoned by the robbers and requested they were returned to us, we were told that the items are going to be presented in evidence when the robbers are eventually apprehended. When some of the robbers were allegedly caught, taken to the court, the items presented in court as evidence, returned to the police after, the accused set free due to what the court described as police insufficient proof of culpability, our items, when requested to be returned to us, were still retained by the police, telling us that they may still be needed, in future prosecution of anyone that may be again caught for the offence. Later, whenever we call for our things to be returned, it’s one story today, another one tomorrow: either the IPO is gone to the court, or he’s off duty, or he’s busy, or he’s on leave etc, until we were tired of going, even when we have told them we are no longer interested in the case going to the court. Up till today, none of us got any of our things back from the police. So, as it was forty years ago, so it is today, and ever so shall it be with the Nigeria Police, nde.
JJ u are right, they are certified uniform armed-robbers.