Posted by By Kingsley Omonobi & Andrew Oota on
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, yesterday ordered the removal of the Plateau State Police Commissioner, Mr Kevin Opoke, following Tuesday's attack on operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Jos by Governor Joshua Dariye and his security details.
ABUJA - The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, yesterday ordered the removal of the Plateau State Police Commissioner, Mr Kevin Opoke, following Tuesday's attack on operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Jos by Governor Joshua Dariye and his security details.
The EFCC operatives were sent to Jos to effect the arrest of an acquaintance of Governor Dariye and a bank manager for money laundering charges.
Police sources told Vanguard that the IG was infuriated that the Police Commissioner (Opoke), who was informed about the EFCC mission and showed all necessary approval for the presence of the operatives, choose to be unconcerned when the EFCC operatives were being manhandled.
'In fact, he was no where to be seen when he would have even assigned some police officers to assist the EFCC officials to make their job easier," the source said.
The EFCC on Wednesday issued a statement detailing how Governor Dariye personally prevented operatives of the commission from affecting the arrest of his long time acquaintance, Miss Christabel Bentu with whom he jumped bail in a London hotel over allegations of money laundering.
Continuing, the statement said: 'On Tuesday, December 6, 2005, on Mr. Dariye's orders, an EFCC operative was manhandled, disarmed and abducted in the premises of KIPC Guest House, Jos, when the operatives went to effect the arrest of Mr. Wilson Echeje, Branch Manager of AllStates Bank, suspected to be the lynchpin in the alleged money laundering activities of the governor."
Following Mr Opoke's removal, the Akwa Ibom State Police Commissioner, Mr Richard Chime, has has been moved to Plateau State as commissioner of police.
Mr. Opoke, a one-time Commissioner of Police in Edo and Gombe States was only posted to Plateau State two weeks ago while Mr Joseph Apapa, the former Plateau State CP was moved to Ogun State when Mr Tunji Alapini was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police.
Meanwhile, a new commissioner of police was yet to be posted to Akwa Ibom State.
Reps fault EFCC on arrest
Also, members of the House of Representatives have condemned the arrest of members of Plateau State government by officials of the EFCC, describing it as a fundamental breach of their rights and abuse of due process.
Operatives of EFCC had arrested officials of the Plateau State government, a situation that almost led to chaos as both the EFCC operatives and government officials engaged themselves in a fight.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, Messrs John Longhor and Abdul Oroh condemned the action of the EFCC as barbaric, outside there mandate and against the provisions of the Act that established the commission.
According to Longhor, 'the EFCC went outside their mandate to arrest the people. Most of the people were arrested on Sunday and from Sunday to date is nearly five days and according to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when you arrest a citizen, it is important that he must be charged to court within 24 hours.
'It is unfortunate that from Sunday up till today, I am told that they were only allowed to have their bath once which is clearly a case of inhuman treatment."
He further debunked allegations that Plateau State government abducted some officials of the EFCC in the course of the arrest on the government officials.
According to him, the arrest of the government officials in Plateau has grounded all government machinery in the state. 'At the moment, the information I got from Plateau State is that the whole machinery of government in the state is paralysed. The governor cannot pay salaries now because those signatories to the account of the government have all been taken away by the EFCC.
'The way the EFCC are arresting people is simply outside the mandate given to them by the constitution and when salaries of civil servants are being delayed, that can cause security problems and the people to blame will be the EFCC."
He called on the EFCC chairman to do all within his powers to ensure that the commission did not go outside the mandate given to it by the constitution.
Mr. Abdul Oroh who also spoke to newsmen on the arrest of government officials in Plateau State by officers of the EFCC said: 'This was a dangerous fundamental breach on the people of the state and we as law makers should rise against this breach. There was insensitivity on the side of the EFCC to have gone into that arrest without following due process."