| Solomon Arase |
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, on Wednesday stated that the recent invitation of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, by the police was not politically motivated.
He said part of the duties of the police was to investigate any case brought before them.
Ekweremadu is being investigated by the police for allegedly altering the Senate Standing Rule on the process of electing principal officers, which is under investigation as a case of forgery by the police.
The Peoples Democratic Party had condemned the invitation of the Deputy Senate President, alleging that the move was politically motivated, considering the objection of the ruling All Progressives Congress to his emergence as the deputy to Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Speaking to journalists in an interview at the Bauchi State Police Command, Arase declared that he was not a politician, and as such, could not have been pushed politically in the alleged forgery investigation against the Deputy Senate President.
He said, “One of the statutory duties of the police is to investigate any case brought before it. That is exactly what we are trying to do; to investigate a complaint that has been brought to us. I am a police officer in total, I am not a politician.”
Arase, who stated that investigation into the case was ongoing, added that the police could not carry out their statutory responsibilities without the cooperation of the people.
He said he was in Bauchi not only to motivate officers and men of the command but also to appeal to the people of Bauchi State volunteer information to the police to curb crimes.
“We cannot do it alone as police force; that we require their cooperation and understanding for us to get credible information to fish out criminals who are in our midst,” said the IG.
He declared that the idea of keeping suspects in detention on trump-up charges was not acceptable under a democratic set up, noting that the police would keep people in custody when it was absolutely necessary.
Arase explained, “A suspect can only be kept under 48 hours under the law, depending on the nature of the offence. There are certainly offences that under our Nigerian law, the police are not competent enough to grant bail. I give an example, homicide, robbery cases, terrorist cases. Those ones you have to charge the suspect to court.”
Addressing officers and men of the state command, the IGP declared that the issue of roadblock was never a strategy for crime prevention, adding that there should not be police roadblocks nationwide any longer.
Punch
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