Recall that InsideOjodu had earlier reported that suspected gunmen on Monday morning attacked the Owerri Correctional Prison in the Imo State capital and freed over 1500 inmates.

But the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba stated that the attacked was carried out by IPOB and ESN.

Adamu condemned the alleged act by the security arm of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra. IPOB, however, has since denied being behind the attacks.

The IGP, however has ordered the immediate deployment of additional units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) and other Police Tactical Squads to Imo State to strengthen security and prevent further attacks on security formations or any other critical national infrastructure in the State.

The statement read:  “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the attackers, who came in their numbers with sophisticated weapons such as General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs), AK49 rifles, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), are members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN).

“The attempt by the attackers to gain access to the Police armoury at the Headquarters was totally and appropriately resisted by Police operatives on duty who repelled the attackers and prevented them from breaking-in and looting the armoury.

“The armoury is thus intact! Similarly, the police suffered no human casualty, apart from a police Constable who sustained a minor bullet wound on his shoulder.”

The IGP also directed the Commissioner of Police in the state and a new Special Investigation Team “to carry out holistic investigations into the incident with a view to fishing-out the perpetrators and bringing them to justice”.

“The IGP, who described the deliberate and criminal attack on security operatives as an attack on the soul of our nation, has enjoined leaders in Imo State, the South-East and other parts of the country to speak out against the unfolding violence and criminality.

“The IGP calls on citizens to avail the Police and other security agencies with useful information that can assist in identifying and arresting the criminals.

“He vowed that the perpetrators will be brought to book, noting that the Force is doing all within its powers to curb the activities of unscrupulous elements hell-bent on threatening the unity, safety, security and socio-economic wellbeing of Nigerians,” the statement added.

The President and the AGF in their counter affidavit argued that Okpara “has failed to discharge the legal burden of proof that the 2nd defendant is not a serving police officer for the purposes of extension of his tenure in office.”

This is however coming after Justice Ahmed Mohammed ruled that the Nigeria Police Council was not properly served with the originating processes.

The Judge made the ruling on Tuesday, March 16, after observing that there was no legal representation for the NPC. He noted that the service of the documents was done on one Adeyemi, whose status was not stated, on the originating processes, thus making the service improper.

Daily Trust reported that though Okpara’s lawyer, Ugochukwu Ezekiel said the counsel to Buhari and Malami served him in the morning with a counter-affidavit challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the matter, the court said service was fundamental to the proceeding.

The lawsuit was adjourned till March 30 for a hearing.

The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi made this known while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said that the decision of the President to extend the IGP’s tenure for another three months was to give time for proper selection of the new helmsman.

Adamu had completed his 35 years service on Monday and was expected to have handed over to the most senior officer at the close of work on Monday, but he did not.

Adamu made the promise before a closed-door meeting with the top echelon of the Nigerian Police Force especially those in charge of tactical operations as well as the Police High Command in Katsina

He said “The recent Kankara incident was unfortunate. I am in Katsina to ensure that such an incident will and shall never happen again. We are in Katsina today to ensure that the state is crime-free. Internal security is the job of the police. We should never give an opportunity to criminals to operate and we have resolved not to allow either bandits or any other criminals anytime to operate either in the morning, afternoon or at night. That is why we are liaising with our partners including security agencies and other stakeholders like the Miyyetti Allah, not to allow bandits and other criminals to operate.”

The Nigeria Police Force has applied to the withdrawal of its suit praying for an order stopping the various states’ judicial panels of enquiry probing allegations of rights abuses and other acts of the brutality of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other police tactical units.

The suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Thursday denied authorising the filing of the suit.

The plaintiff, therefore, through one of its lawyers, Festus Ibude, filed a notice of discontinuance of the suit on Friday.

The NPF, had through their lawyer, Mr O. M. Atoyebi (SAN), argued in the fresh suit that the state governments lacked the power to constitute the panels to investigate activities of the police force and its officials in the conduct of their statutory duties.

According to the plaintiff, the state governments decision to set up such panels violated the provisions of section 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Constitution and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act.

It sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd to 38th defendants (the state Attorneys-General of the 36 states) “from making or conducting any investigations, sittings and inquiries and/or from making or conducting any further investigations, sittings and inquiries in respect of matters affecting the Nigeria Police Force, and or further setting up any panel of inquiry in any state whatsoever in the country”.

He said this in a press statement titled ‘Workings of the NPF: IGP is in firm control’ on Tuesday.

Adamu was reacting to a comment made by a retired army general, Garba Wahab, who said, “the IGP Maybe sitting in Abuja with the paraphernalia of office, but he has lost the control of the police force.”

The statement reads “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to comments and reactions during an interview session on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme of 13th November 2020 where one Major General Garba Wahab (rtd) commented that ‘the IGP is sitting down there with all the paraphernalia of office deprived of actually having control of police… he is not in control’. The Force wishes to categorically state that the Rtd Major General is wrong in his assertion as IGP Adamu is firmly in control of the administration and operation of the Nigeria Police Force. It notes that the comments by Rtd Major General Garba Wahab show that he spoke purely out of ignorance and from a jackboot mentality that lacks proper understanding of democratic policing culture, rooted in the Rule of Law. It reiterates that the retired Officer clearly spoke on a subject outside his areas of core competence. It is noteworthy that since his assumption of office as the 20th indigenous Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni, a global policing icon, has in the past twenty-three months of his leadership of the Force, shown sterling qualities in what the operational/administrative command and control of the Force should be. This is exemplified in the various reform policies being implemented to reposition the Force for greater efficiency, uphold the rule of law in policing actions and drive a citizen-centred policing approach. It is to the credit of his robust leadership style that even in the face of the recent violence occasioned by the ENDSARS protest and provocative attacks on Police personnel and assets, the officers under his command exercised maximum restraint and stayed calm, professional and committed to maintaining law and order in the country.”

They made the call through an ad hoc committee set up by the House to look into the ongoing protest.

The IGP is to appear before the special panel on October 22, 2020.

The panel will also conduct town hall meetings across the country to hear from Nigerians on the matter.

Thousands of Nigerians have been protesting for the last one week against police brutality, harassment and ex-judicial killings across the country.

Details later…

The dissolvent of the police unit is coming after several days of online and offline protests against the brutality and extra-judicial killings by SARS operatives nationwide.

The Inspector-General disclosed this in a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

According to Adamu, the operatives will be redeployed to other police formations and commands.

“The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force otherwise known as SARS is hereby dissolved in all the 36 State Police Commands and the Federal Capital Territory,” the IGP said.

Adamu, however, stated that a new policing arrangement to replace the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad will be announced “in due course”.

He said the force was preparing hard for the October 10 election in the state.

The force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, said this in a statement titled, ‘Ahead of Ondo Gov election: IGP meets with the Nigeria Civil Society Room,’ in Abuja, on Monday.

He quoted the IG as giving this assurance when the Convener and Co-convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo and Esther Uzoma, led other representatives of civil society organisations on a courtesy call to the IGP at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The statement read in part, “The IGP, while appreciating the CSOs for their commendable roles in the electioneering processes and their invaluable contributions toward the passage of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, reassured that the Force will continue to partner with the Independent National Electoral Commission and other critical stakeholders in election management towards ensuring free, fair, peaceful and credible elections, not only in the Ondo election but in subsequent elections in the country.”

Sanusi had filed a lawsuit, challenging his banishment to Awe in Nasarawa State, where he was detained in a private home until March 13 when he obtained an interim order of the court for his release from house arrest.

IGP Adamu who challenged the lawsuit through his lead counsel Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), asked the court to strike out the lawsuit as it is not within its jurisdiction to hear the fundamental rights enforcement suit.

The police chief said “The alleged infringement of the fundamental right of the applicant in this suit (Sanusi) is only ancillary to the dethronement of the applicant as the Emir of Kano, which is a matter within the jurisdiction of the High Court of a state. It is crystal clear from all the processes filed by the applicant that the facts that gave rise to this case arose from Kano State, where the applicant was dethroned as the Emir and flown to Abuja en route Nasarawa State. It is our submission that coming into Abuja was only as a mere passage to their actual destination, which is Nasarawa State, and as such, Abuja cannot, by any stretch of reasoning, be said to be the place where the infringement occurred.”

However, Sanusi who countered the argument, stated that suit was not about his dethronement but his family’s forceful ejection from the palace and their banishment from Kano and subsequent confinement which spanned through three territories – Kano, Abuja and Nasarawa.

His lawyer said  “The nucleus or gravamen of the applicant’s complaint is centrally on the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights and there is no or any other complaints therein. The claim of the applicant, as presently constituted, does not have any colouration of a chieftaincy matter as alleged by the 1st respondent. The applicant is not challenging his deposition in this case.”

The case was fixed for October 20 for hearing by Justice Chikere who presided over the case.