Group Lambast IGP After Commission Clears Senator Of Alleged Desertion

It would also be recalled that Mr. Misau, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Navy, in a series of interviews with journalists had accused the Inspector General of Police of taking bribe to post officers as well as diverting money paid by private companies for police duties. The police authorities responded by accusing him of vendetta over being under investigation for alleged desertion of the police. The Police on August 27 had declared Mr. Misau a deserter and accused him of carrying about a forged retirement letter. But the Police Service Commission on Wednesday confirmed that the retirement letter of the senator from the force was authentic. The retirement letter, with ref: No PSC 1034 Vol.8/244, was issued on March 4, 2014 but took effect from December 1, 2010.‎ The commission said Mr. Misau’s retirement followed due process as it was based on recommendation from the Force Headquarters. ‎Discussing the issue on Thursday, participants on penpushing social media platform said the senator having been cleared of the allegation of desertion, it had become morally compulsory to investigate his allegation against the Inspector General of Police. A cleric who is a member of the platform, Olusesi Obateye, wrote: ‘Now that the retirement letter has been investigated and found authentic, what will happen to his allegations against IGP?” He expressed dismay that instead of the police to respond to the senator’s allegations, they had resorted to counter accusation, stating that the tactic was characteristic of a guilty party. In her own remark, a veteran journalist, Funke Fadugba, posited: “Are the allegations against the IGP against the government? Is fight against corruption no longer a cardinal program of government that we should all support? He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. The police is a major in prosecuting the anti-corruption war.” Another commentator, Sulaiman Fasasi, reacted thus:‎ “I lost faith in this IGP right from the word go. A man who couldn’t conduct a proper investigation on police vehicles, how would he secure all the vehicles in Nigeria? The same man who couldn’t investigate a resignation letter of an officer serving under him doesn’t worth to be a DPO.” Yinka Kotoye, who is a legal practitioner, wrote: ‘The man should resign honourably.‎ The Senate should push for the sack of the IG or his resignation.” In the same vein, Yusuph Olaniyonu declared: “Senator Misau may have to consider seeking redress. The Senate should also look into the allegations. “We have been talking about this very familiar pattern. When an MDA or government institution is accused of wrongdoing or initiating a wrong policy, instead of facing the facts, they resort to blackmail. This has backfired “Since FPRO spoke on Raypower saying the allegation of companies paying for police protection was false, the station has been inundated with documents sent by people who were in charge of such payments in the companies they used to work to prove that payments are being made. “In any case, banks and oil companies don’t pay huge amount of money like that without vouchers being raised and these are trails that can be followed. Sen. Misau has always said his motivation was for those payments to be made official and harnessed into resources that the police could tap into for re-equipping and re-tooling. “The Senate should simply investigate the issues raised by Misau and put the outcome in the public domain. Just as they did on the suspended SGF. It is left for the President to act on it or ignore it. Whatever action the President takes will form part of the portfolio for the anti-corruption fight. ‎ At least, there is a suggestion that the suspended SGF may still come back,” Mr. Olaniyonu stated. The Ogun State Chairman of Committee for Defence on Human Rights, Folarin Olayinka, reacted thus: “This IGP I think should just cover his face in shame, he needs to convince the public that he is not on a garment of corruption. “The people must own the struggle against corruption. Hate Senate, call them names, but be sure there are still good and concerned personalities there. They have achieved a lot and must not be inordinately shouted down always. This IGP must go‎.”]]>