Nigeria Police and allegations of Partisanship
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) under the current Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has been accused of partisanship by several people in the country especially the opposition of the ruling party and even though the IGP has claimed that the Police are only doing their job the allegations are sounding like the truth.
The NPF has been used severally to abuse power and to do the biddings of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC) in the country. The police carry out these jobs as though they are a department in the APC.
During the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun over 30,000 police were deployed to both states and there were several reports of voter’s intimidations. There were even reports that vote buying was happening close to the police officers who see the perpetrators of these acts and looked the other way. During the re-run of 7 polling units in Osun state, it was reported that the police allowed the APC sponsored thugs intimidate voters that are not APC members.
They were also used in the impeachment plot against the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom after he decamped from the APC. The police invaded the Benue state House of Assembly and didn’t allow the supporters of the governor into the building but allowed the House members that were planning the impeachment in. This same scenario happened in Akwa-Ibom when the APC Honorables were trying to impeach the governor as well.
Not too long ago the NPF arrested Deji Adeyanju, a political activist who organized a protest to inform the police to be neutral in the forthcoming 2019 elections. The police were ordered by the court to release Deji not long after his arrest. He was released but rearrested days later on the charges that he was found not guilty for years ago. The police opened a close case just to intimidate an activist. Deji is still in jail till now.
Recently the house of a sitting senator, Senator Dino Melaye was invaded by the NPF. According to the police, the house of the senator was invaded because of a case of attempted murder the senator was charged for months ago. The senator already informed the police that he would surrender himself to the police once he gets to Abuja but still, the police are still laying siege in his house.
Police opening an old case is not a crime, in fact, it is a good thing that some cases are reinvestigated but when the cases are about the opposition especially when it is close to an election then some things are not adding up.
The Senate president, Bukola Saraki recently called the IGP, Ibrahim Idris the most partisan head of the Nigeria Police ever in the history of the country and he might have hit the nail on the head as the IGP has never been remorseful in carrying out the task of the ruling party since becoming the IG in 2015.