A group, South West Development Frontiers, SWDF, has condemned the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA for instituing a legal suit against President Muhammadu Buhari for extending the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Muhammad Adamu by three months, describing the action as unnecessary.
The NBA had last Thursday commenced the legal action at a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos in suit no. FHC/L/CS/214/2021 and joined the IGP and the Police Service Commission, PSC as co-defendants.
But addressing the press at the weekend in Abuja, the National Coordinator of SWDF, Comrade Osabinu Olufemi said those challenging the IGP’s tenure extension in court may truncate a smooth process of transition without considering the inherent benefits to the nation.
Osanubi also described the allegation of N2billion bribe to achieve the tenure extension as reported in a popular online media as unfounded, highly ridiculous and frivolous.
“Without mincing words, it will be unpatriotic for anyone to maliciously attack the IGP patriotic service to the country with the intent to tarnish his proven integrity as an effective officer of repute.
“It will be recalled during the #EndSARS nationwide protests that threatened to capsize our unity as a nation, the outgoing IGP displayed a rare tendency uncommon to African democracies by advocating for tolerance on peaceful protesters from our policemen against the old order of intolerance to peaceful demonstration or protest, therefore paving way for more matured policing in the midst of public provocation.
“It cannot equally be forgotten soon that this patriotic Inspector General equivocally called on the police nationwide to respect human rights and laws guiding sanity during the enforcement of COVID-19 regulations to stem the tide of the first wave of the pandemic last year.
“The SWDF leadership refers to an unfounded allegation of 2 billion naira purportedly published by Sahara Reporters newspapers as bribe paid by the outgoing IGP to some persons at the Presidency in order to extend his tenure in office. This is highly ridiculous and frivolous while the existence of such allegation is debunked after a thorough investigation by our organisation.
“The SWDF leadership throws its weight behind the intention of the Presidency to extend the tenure of a performing IGP with focus in order to look for a capable replacement that will continue the process of totally reforming the NPF in their bid to maximally protect the citizenry in a matured manners exhibited in developed nations of the world,” Osabinu stressed.
He said the group has done its thorough findings and sees nothing wrong with the extension of the IGP’s tenure.
His words: “We painstakingly conducts a thorough findings on the matter and confirm in clear terms that the tenure extension of the IGP by Presidency after completion of his mandatory years in civil service was in order to search for a round peg in a round hole that will continue the ongoing reforms being introduced into Nigeria policing system by the patriotic outgoing IGP in line of duty.
“At a time when the nation is at the verge of collapse, considering criminal activities increasing on daily basis, the Nigeria Police Force deserves being led by a thorough bred officer with the required training to enhance the total reform of the NPF as expected by the masses.”
