Kogi: Police sets deadline for SDP spokesperson to provide evidence of CP’s involvement in hiring thugs

The Nigeria Police Force has granted Farouk Adejoh, the spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State, a 24-hour window to clarify his claims that Bethrand Onuoha, the Commissioner of Police, was in charge of enlisting goons for a certain political party in the state.

The comment attributed to Adejoh was characterised by Kogi State Police Command Spokesperson SP William Ovye Aya in a statement on Thursday as a blatant assault on the authority and integrity of the Nigerian Police Force.

Aya demanded that Ajejoh prove his accusations against the State Police Command and the Commissioner of Police within the allotted time frame, failing which he would suffer the repercussions of his actions.

Read Also: Insecurity: Niger CP seeks assistance from traditional rulers to strengthen community policing efforts

“There is no political party that the Police Command is affiliated with. We have upheld this mandate fearlessly and favourably: it is our duty to defend people and property.

We learned today of an improperly staged protest at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s State Office. In order to quickly restore order at the INEC Office, the CP ordered the deployment of men and officers.

“We are concerned about the safety of the public conducting business near the INEC Office as well as the security of the Electoral Commission’s employees and property.

“Calm was restored at the INEC State Headquarters with the assistance of other security authorities.

We don’t know how the operation that brought the INEC Office back to calm has enraged the Social Democratic Party. According to the statement from the Kogi police spokeswoman, “The protesters who blocked the road and were burning tyres to scare people were all wearing the fez caps of the Social Democratic Party.”

In order to put a stop to political attempts to involve the Police Force in partisan disputes, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police has “unbiasedly” ordered a thorough investigation into the claim made by the SDP spokesperson, according to the statement.