The Chief Security Officer, Aide De Camp and other security men attached to Amaechi may be dismissed from the police force and the State Security Service. Saturday PUNCH gathered that the dismissal would be based on their level of involvement in the fracas that occurred in the chambers of the state house of assembly on Tuesday. The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, had already set up an investigative panel headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Philemon Leha, to probe the political impasse in the state. It was learnt that the SSS was also carrying out a similar investigation to determine the involvement of its officers in the fracas. A top security source said, “The conduct of the policemen and other security officers is highly embarrassing to the police high command and they will face disciplinary committees. “Any indicted officer, whether SSS or the police, faces three types of punishment, including demotion and dismissal, which are the highest forms of punishment they can get.” The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro, has also expressed an interest in the matter. He has called for an urgent probe into the involvement of policemen in the assault and battery of lawmakers, which was aired on television. Assistant Director (Information & Public Relations), Police Service Commission, Ferdinand Ekpe, confirmed to Saturday PUNCH that Okiro had directed that investigation should establish the culpability or otherwise of the policemen in the incident. He said, “The Police Service Commission Chairman, Sir Mike Okiro, as a Nigerian, watched the incident on television and he is interested in the matter. “He has directed that investigation into the involvement of the policemen be sped up and the case should be brought to the commission after it might have been handled by the Force Disciplinary Committee.” Findings indicated that the police high command was embarrassed by the conduct of the policemen that were attached to the governor for jumping into the fray between the pro and anti-Amaechi lawmakers. It was learnt that the policemen did not exhibit professionalism and good judgment expected of senior officers working in a politically-volatile environment. The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the panel set up by the IG would investigate the conduct of all the policemen that were at the scene of the fracas and any one found to have breached the police code of conduct would be punished. “A policeman is a policeman everywhere, no matter who you are working with. A governor has immunity but a policeman has no immunity and if your conduct breaches the police code of conduct, you will not be spared. “Our investigation will focus on all the policemen at the scene of the fracas and any indicted officer will be dealt with accordingly. I don’t want to pre-empt the investigation panel, but the fact remains that the police force will not condone any act of indiscipline,” Mba stated. Reacting to the move to dismiss the officers, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Mr. Tony Okocha, said the police should bother to find out the circumstances that led to the beating of the lawmaker by the police. Okocha explained that the ADC to the governor had to defend his principal (Amaechi), who, one of the lawmakers instructed somebody from the gallery to shoot. The governor, according to Okocha, informed the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu Joseph, about the crisis in the House of Assembly. “When the governor got there, one of the lawmakers ordered that the governor should be shot. So, in that circumstance, what would the governor’s ADC do? “The ADC to the governor did what was expected of him by defending his principal. The gallery was peopled by some youths with guns. That is why I say the police should bother to consider the circumstances that led to the ADC’s action.” Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi, on Thursday, raised the alarm that his life was in danger following the withdrawal of soldiers from the Government House. The governor, who expressed surprise over the development, said the soldiers were withdrawn without any prior information to the Government House.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:58:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015