Posted by By CHIDI OBINECHE on
Police authorities last night put paid to speculations that erstwhile chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu Ribadu was roughhandled and stopped from his scheduled graduation at the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, on November 22, 2008.
• Real reason he stormed out of NIPPS graduation
Police authorities last night put paid to speculations that erstwhile chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu Ribadu was roughhandled and stopped from his scheduled graduation at the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, on November 22, 2008.
The presidency had in the wake of the public uproar generated by the alleged molestation set up a probe panel headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yahaya Ahmed.
A highly placed source a the Louis Edet house, however described the events of that day as 'stage managed,' by Ribadu loyalists in other to whip up national sympathy for him and called for any shred of evidence, including video or camera clips or witnesses to show police culpability.
Giving a low down of the dramatic incident, the source said ‘Ribadu dropped the programme of the event on the floor and walked out the moment he saw that the rank against his name was that of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) as against Assistant Inspector General (AIG) which, he bore at the point of entry.
Said the source: 'There was a plan between the Ribadu camp and his highly connected top brass friend at NIPSS to present Ribadu at the graduation as an Assistant Inspector-General of Police. True to this plot, an earlier programme had the ex-EFCC chairman's name with an AIG rank with an asterix, indicating that, it was the officer's rank at the point of entry.
Continuing, the source said, 'When the programme was circulated ahead of the graduation, Senior police authorities noticed the anormaly and allegedly queried the NIPSS DG asking him for explanation, and the DG replied that he was unaware of Ribadu's demotion. Of course this might have been informed by allegations that there was no official communication to NIPSS on the demotion.
But then, the NIPSS people had no explanation to offer for the fact that no other officer, Police, Customs, Army Air force, Navy was specially identified with either an asterix on their ranks at the point of entry.' It further said, that the NIPSS management, mopped up the programme and printed a new one overnight which was distributed on the day of the graduation. Ribadu, who was obviously unaware of the new development confidently showed up for the convocation with his retinue of friends, family members, and other relations, and was piqued to see the new rank against his name on the programme.
He promptly dropped his copy of the programme on the floor and walked out of the crowded hall, with his people following closely in tow.
Frowning at the bloated tales of strong arm tactics allegedly deployed by the police against Ribadu on the day, the source said it was unimaginable that the large army of photographers and video cameramen at the venue at the time could not capture the incident, even as he has been cast as a goldfish with no hiding place by the media.
The police high command, according to the source are also joining issues with Ribadu over claims that the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) he traveled with between Abuja and Jos came under heavy fire in an attempt to assassinate him, reminding him to respond to the query issued him on the matter over two weeks ago, and bring the vehicle for impact assessment.
He was also asked to state the circumstances in which he was attacked, together with all the details known to him to facilitate a probe.
'A directive from the IG, to the four police commissioners on the route, the FCT, Nassarawa, Kaduna, and Plateau to investigate the alleged incident was fully complied with, and all the CPs said they found nothing by way of evidence to show that an incident of attack happened on Ribadu on any other person for that matter, on the day in question. The query is still with Ribadu' the source further clarified.
Ribadu who only returned to the country a few days ago drew more flaks from the police who accused him of allegedly engaging on underhand tactics in seeking for political protection abroad, an allegation that has already been dismissed as untrue, especially as Ribadu came back to the country on his on volition. Even at that, reports had it that the embattled former EFCC boss was actually in a neighbouring African country.
Since his forced removal as the boss of the crime bursting outfit, nearly a year ago, Ribadu has been consistently in the eye of the storm. He has been accused of gross misconduct and insubordination by the police high command, refusing to accept his demotion to DCP, and adorn the epaulettes on his uniform. He is also said not to have responded to the series of queries sent to him which forced the police to set up a disciplinary committee that tried him in absentia.