APC chieftain criticises Police IG over Senate snub

A chieftain of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Yusuf Ali, has chided the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for what he described as “serial and flagrant disregard” to the nation’s democratic institutions.

Mr Ali made the remarks in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja Saturday evening.

The police chief has twice failed to appear before the Senate who invited him for questioning over the predicament of a senator, Dino Melaye, and the continued insecurity across the country.

The lawmakers have since fixed another date for him to appear.

Mr Ali said while the police chief continues to “trample on the National Assembly with impunity…he should know that posterity is watching and he might end up on the wrong side of the nation’s democratic history.”

“The nation has watched in dismay how the IG has shunned several invitations extended to him by the National Assembly as regards his stewardship as the chief law enforcement officer in the land.

“His conduct, as exhibited, was in contempt of our democracy and has laid a very terrible and dangerous precedence in the nation’s body politic,” he said.

The politician said the Senate simply wants Mr Idris to answer questions regarding the spike in attacks and killings of innocent citizens across the country.

He said the police chief owes Nigerians an explanation as to why “these things are happening yet he has chosen to dance on the grave of the innocent without even showing a modicum of respect for the souls that have departed.”

He said by his actions, Mr Idris has told Nigerians in “unambiguous language” that he cannot be held to account.

“To add salt to injury, even the President who appointed him confessed on live television that the IG disrespected his direct orders on the killings in Benue State,” he said.

Mr Ali said a lot of commentators and public officials have raised concerns about the politicisation of policing in Nigeria, saying “it is not about Saraki or Ekweremadu or the PDP, but the National Assembly, which is the citadel of democracy in Nigeria, which ought to be respected if not the nation, will slide into anarchy.

“When the IG disrespects the people he is supposed to give account to, it goes to tell the primary school pupil to disregard his or her teacher because the children now see these things on the television and in the Social Media.

“Therefore, I am appealing to Nigerians of good conscience to rise up to this anomaly and condemn it. You don’t go to the National Assembly just to defend your budget. No! You have to give account to Nigerians through their elected representatives. You don’t pick and choose which laws to obey or orders to disregard,” Mr Ali said.

He also said in order to guard against such malfeasance in the future, the National Assembly should take a second look at the Police Act with a view to rejiging it and making it more responsive and responsible.

He commended the maturity exhibited by the National Assembly in handling such a “provocative issue” and said the electorate is behind them.