Rights group cautions Buhari against retaining IGP Idris

A pro-democracy and Non-Governmental organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari against extending the tenure of the outgoing Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

HURIWA made the call while condemning the bloody violence at the Lagos flag off of the APC governorship campaign in Lagos State, yesterday.

The pro-democracy organisation urged Buhari to appoint a “competent professional to step in as Police Inspector General to take over from the highly partisan and compromised outgoing IGP billed for retirement on the attainment of statutory 60 years age of retirement especially because he is an abysmal failure in office.”

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and its National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf said the police has, “failed to institute charges against any of the armed political thugs apparently because they have the backing of the APC government officials.”

The NGO also charged the Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah– led National Peace Committee and other law enforcement agencies to tackle the rising spate of organized violence by “armed political thugs at virtually most top-level All Progressives Congress’s campaign rallies.”

The right group also tasked all political parties running for offices to stop the deployment of armed political thugs targeting political opponents.

HURIWA said armed thugs who are masterminding the numerous acts of violence during political meetings have been “emboldened by the conspiratorial silence of the security services and particularly the Nigeria police which has always looked the other way whilst bloody violence are unleashed by hired thugs apparently because the sponsors are top officials in the different levels of government.”

Wondering why the police have chosen to use a politically motivated yardstick to refuse to arrest, prosecute and ensure that the full weight of the relevant legal provisions against organize violence and murder are used against suspected sponsored thugs belonging to All Progressives Congress, the Rights group has, therefore, demanded immediate action against political thugs.

HURIWA stated that “even at the last national convention of APC during which the current leadership emerged, there was bloody violence caused by alleged loyalists of the Imo state governor who targeted supporters of the then National organizing secretary senator Osita Izunaso who was a member of a coalition that resisted the planned imposition of Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law as his successor in office.

“The violence in Lagos has once more brought to the front burner of national discuss about the unambiguous compromise of the hierarchy of the Nigeria police Force who are in breach of the constitution by not effectively enforcing the laws without let or hindrance.”

The Right group asked Buhari to let “Ibrahim Kpodum Idris the outgoing Inspector General of Police to quit the stage forthwith so a much more competent professional and non-partisan officer is made the Inspector General of Police to salvage the policing institution from global opprobrium.”

HURIWA also demanded the arrest, prosecution and comprehensive sanction for all the armed thugs that carried out the attacks in Lagos which led to fatalities.

It charged the National Peace Committee to call president Buhari to order to stop him from tolerating political violence and impunity amongst his supporters who are becoming embolden and much more daring and dangerous to the health of the nation.”