Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu’s claim that some politicians sewed police uniforms for thugs to use during the last governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states deserves investigation.
Indeed, nothing can be more troubling than the details given by the IGP: “We were aware of the fact that or we were told that some politicians were going to sew police and military uniforms. So, we devised some other means of identifying those that were on elections duty. We gave them tags.”
We find it concerning that the IGP reported such unwholesome behaviour by politicians matter-of-factly. What citizens have not heard from the IGP and need to hear is whether he made any effort to pre-empt the actions of the criminals who were emboldened by politicians to sabotage the highpoint of democracy in the country.
We find it strange that the police had a foreknowledge of politicians putting counterfeit uniforms of the Nigeria police on political thugs, without being able to apprehend any of the so-called fake policemen before or during the elections in the two states. Where is any evidence of intelligence gathering in the police’s response, apart from just giving special tags to separate genuine police from fake ones? Did the genuine police do anything to prevent the fake police known ahead of their appearance from coming out?
We consider the IGP’s attempts to assure the public that anyone found disrupting any elections could not have been those with special tags befuddling. Such confidence on the part of the IGP would have been more meaningful had his force been able to identify a few of the fake police created by those the IGP called the “Bad Guys.”
With such announcement by the IGP, any surprise that some international and national observers felt uneasy about the level of violence before and during the elections in the two states? We believe that the genuine police force could have done better. The IGP has not helped anybody with his announcement. The police ought to have investigated the conspiracy between politicians and fake police, if only to scare the planners from moving forward on such nefarious plan.
As the matter stands, the situation is not good for the image of the Nigeria Police. It is not enough for the IGP to issue special tags to absolve members of the Nigeria Police Force. Efforts by the IGP should have included seeking strong support from the State Security Service (SSS) to identify and arrest men in what looks like genuine police uniform but without the special tags given to the genuine police.
It will be useful if Nigerians are assured by evidence of a few arrests of the fake police created by politicians, or of some politicians behind such a scam.We need to send such people to the courts for trial not only to serve as deterrence for others planning to commit such crimes during future elections but also to assure citizens that such well-planned conspiracy against free, fair and peaceful elections would not go unpunished. Were the 11 arrests in Kogi and Bayelsa made in connection with fake police? It will be helpful for the IGP to be clear on this point.
If up till now no person—fake police or bad politician—has been caught, the police in collaboration with the SSS should investigate the matter thoroughly. And whoever is found to have been involved in such conspiracy against the state should be identified, prosecuted and punished accordingly.
With such action, the IGP would have assured the public of its force’s capacity not only to identify criminals but also to prevent crimes.
Democracy cannot gain ground if we keep treating electoral crimes with levity the way the IGP has done so far in this matter. What happened in the November 16 governorship elections in the two states; particularly in Kogi State, was a national embarrassment. Such must never be allowed to happen again.
Credit: The Nation
