Sequel to the\u00a0 absurd drama that has trailed the gruesome murder of Olaitan Oyerinde, the\u00a0 Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL), has urged President Goodluck Jonathan\u00a0 to\u00a0 sack the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), MD Abubakar\u00a0 to ensure a\u00a0 credible public inquiry of the Nigeria Police Force’s investigations.<\/p>\n
Few days ago Edo\u00a0 Governor, Adams\u00a0 Oshiomhole, alleged that the\u00a0 Nigeria Police Force was\u00a0 complicit in the gruesome murder of Oyerinde, and he called for the sack of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID).<\/p>\n
Comrade Oyerinde, who was the Principal Private Secretary of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, was murdered in his home in Benin City last year. The police arrested Rev Ugolor, a well-known environmental rights campaigner, claiming that he was the mastermind behind the murder of Oyerinde.<\/p>\n
Only days after that, the State Security Service frontally contradicted the police when it paraded five men who publicly admitted they had committed the murder.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the governor\u2019s position yesterday, IGP Abubakar called the governor\u2019s position an unfounded, and promised to set up a committee to look at the Report of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department.<\/p>\n
In a press statement in which it evaluated the story and the latest developments, PILL described the IGP\u2019s remarks as \u201cunfortunate and regrettable.\u201d<\/p>\n
It warned: \u201cNothing prejudices the outcome of his committee, or dismisses a complaint even before it is heard, than [Abubakar\u2019s] unguarded remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group recalled that in a previous press statement on August 19, 2012, it had expressed worry over the shoddy way the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) attended to the Presidential Directive that the killers of the late Principal Private Secretary of Comrade Governor Oshiomhole be arrested and brought to justice.<\/p>\n
In that statement, PILL noted that \u2018\u2019nothing exposes the Nigeria Police Force for what it is than the insidious manner with which it treats the well-known environmental rights campaigner, Rev Ugolor.\u201d<\/p>\n
It further declared that the answers to the questions thrown up by the murder and the work of both the police and the SSS could only be provided by an Independent Public Inquiry set up for the purpose of looking at the investigations.<\/p>\n
Full text of the press statement by PILL:<\/p>\n
OLAITAN OYERINDE: SACK THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE NOW!<\/p>\n
(Text of the press statement issued by the Public Interest Lawyers League, PILL)<\/p>\n
In our press statement of the 19th day of August 2012, we expressed worry over the shoddy way the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) attended to the Presidential Directive that the killers of the late Principal Private Secretary of Comrade Governor Oshiomhole be arrested and brought to justice. Worried that the Nigeria Police Force presented a Criminal Investigation Report that was in all material particular different from that which the State Security Service (SSS) presented to the Nigerian public on the 1st day of August 2012, we noted in our said statement of 19th August 2012 that \u2018\u2019nothing exposes the Nigeria Police Force for what it is than the insidious manner with which it treats the well-known environmental rights campaigner, Rev Ugolor. Rev Ugolor was arrested by the Police over three weeks ago following allegation that he masterminded the murder of Olaitan Oyerinde. The claim of the Police was exposed as a lie a few days later by the State Security Service when its officers paraded five young men who publicly claimed they murdered Olaitan Oyerinde\u2026.there are wider questions that the Nigeria Police Force must provide answers to here. The answers to these questions can only be provided by an Independent Public Inquiry, set up for the purpose of looking at the issues that the investigation into the murder of Olaitan Oyerinde has thrown up\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
Two days ago Comrade Governor Oshiomhole lambasted the Nigeria Police Force for being complicit in the gruesome murder of his personal aide, Olaitan Oyerinde. And he called for the sack of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID).<\/p>\n
Comrade Governor Oshiomhole\u2019s views are consistent with those we outlined in our press statement of 19th of August 2012. Where the lives of over 150 million Nigerians are concerned it is only imperative that public inquiry is made into the activities of men and women who are charged with the statutory duties of protecting Nigerians to determine the extent to which they perform such duties within the bounds of the law.<\/p>\n
But for Governor Oshiomhole\u2019s public outburst, the Inspector-General of Police, MD Abubakar had kept dubious silence over the contradictory Criminal Investigation Reports submitted by his men and the State Security Service and cleverly distanced himself from a Report a swathe of the Nigerian still controverts. Inspite of the unimpeachable public perception that the State Security Service got the killers of Olaitan Oyerinde, the Inspector-General of Police, MD Abubakar, yesterday dismissed Comrade Governor Oshiomhole\u2019s position as a lie and unfounded whilst he promised to set up a committee to look at the Report of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department.<\/p>\n
We consider the remarks of the Inspector-General of Police, MD Abubakar, unfortunate and regrettable. Nothing prejudices the outcome of his committee, or dismisses a complaint even before it is heard, than his unguarded remarks. In the light of the afore-going, therefore, we call on the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan to sack the Inspector-General of Police, MD Abubakar, NOW to pave way for an untainted and credible Public Inquiry of the Nigeria Police Force’s investigation of the murder of Olaitan Oyerinde.<\/p>\n
Abdul Mahmud, ESQ
\nPresident
\n12th January 2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sequel to the\u00a0 absurd drama that has trailed the gruesome murder of Olaitan Oyerinde, the\u00a0 Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL), has urged President Goodluck Jonathan\u00a0 to\u00a0 sack the Inspector-General of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n