It’s Preposterous”, Maxwell Opara Esq Condemns The IGP’s Allegations That Prof. Zainab Is From Mbaise In His Statement

*Says the Professor Not A Native of Mbaise
*Says Actions of NPF Capable of Spreading Ethnic Divisions And Not National Unity
*Demands Retraction of Statement, And Subsequent Resignation of IGP
*Gives 1 Week Ultimatum or Threatens Class Action

A human right Lawyer, Maxwell Opara Esq through his firm, Maxwell Opara & Associates, and on behalf of the other respected members of the concerned Mbaise Indigenes Worldwide, has written to the Inspector General of Police, condemning the false allegation that the lawyer, Prof. Zainab who attacked her police orderly, was from Mbaise in his statement where he reported the incident to the public on his verified Twitter handle, saying that the statement by the IGP was not only meant to defame the indigenes of Mbaise but capable of causing ethnic division. He demanded that the IGP retract the said statement, resign from his post as he was no longer capable of carrying out his duty and gave him 1 week to achieve this, or face class action.

In a letter sighted by TheNigeriaLawyer, dated 26th September signed by Nnenna Maxwell Opara Esq, Maxwell Opara made it known that he was an indigene of Mbaise in Imo State and was acting on behalf and together with the other respected members of the concerned Mbaise Indigenes Worldwide who had distinguished themselves in every other sector of the society, noting that The Mbaise indigenes of Imo State have immensely contributed their humongous quota towards the growth and rebranding of Nigeria both in Nigeria and in diaspora, and as such, the previously erroneous notion that the Mbaise people of Imo State are nefarious and devious were orchestrated and championed by uninformed persons who according to the letter lack basic sense of social awareness.

The letter expressed the shock of Opara and other respected members of the concerned Mbaise Indigenes Worldwide over the statement of the IGP that Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola was an Mbaise born Professor/Activist, and went on to condemn the said statement which they said was meant to smear the reputation of the people of Mbaise and cause ethnic fraction of Nigeria. “We seek to deploy this medium to express our clients’ condemnation of your ridiculous, reprehensive and superfluous addition of the phrase “an Mbaise born Professor/Activist” in your press statement in a needless and hypocritical move to smudge the cherished reputation of the respected indigenes of Mbaise, Imo state, South East of Nigeria. It is the grievance of our client that they had closely followed the other press statements of the Nigerian Police Force when other persons of other ethnic origins allegedly committed crimes; you never at any time mentioned their places of origin. In other words, it is a newly devised and preposterous antics aimed at defaming the indigenes of Mbaise, Imo state and accordingly aimed at causing division and creating parochial sentiments capable of polarizing Nigeria along ethnic persuasion rather than a sense of national unity which the Police Force should promote.”, the letter read.

Furthermore, Opara Esq (Mrs.) noted that an investigation had been carried out by her clients and they came to a discovery that the suspect, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola, is neither from Mbaise in Imo State, nor married to Mbaise, and as they were discombobulated as to what prompted the highly respected Inspector General of Police to profile the suspect to Mbaise while never mentioning any of her paternal state or her place of marriage. According to the letter, this discloses and confirms the suspicion that there is a perceptive disgust of the Inspector General of Police (IGP Usman Alkali Baba) towards the good people of Mbaise who were unnecessarily fingered in a press statement for no reason whatsoever.

Maxwell Opara and the other respected members of the concerned Mbaise Indigenes Worldwide expressed their immense dissatisfaction with the IGP’s leadership of the police thus: “Consequently, our clients are utterly dismayed that the leadership of the Nigeria Police under your watch would participate in such an unscrupulous display or disposition that only engenders a feeling of segregation, discrimination of person(s), calumny and disrespect towards a people of a particular place of origin in Nigeria. It is the view of our clients that your office should always represent the posture of national unity and eschew acts which may consciously and unconsciously promote division and discrimination among Nigerians. And in the said vein, it is expected that a suspect when arrested by the Nigerian Police should be treated in accordance with law and not for the Police under your watch to devise means of using the suspect as an instrument to slander the people of the place wherefrom the suspect allegedly originates.”

They went on to state that IGP lacks sense of responsibility because it was under his leadership that Prof. Zainab was assigned an orderly without verification as to whether or not she was deserving of such privileges and this brings to fore the controversial and/or the indiscriminate assignment of police orderlies to all Nigerians who can afford same, which has left the Nigeria Police under the IGP’s watch with the serious problem of paucity of manpower. According to the letter, the IGP has failed like his predecessors to curb this problem but rather had a position to engender discrimination and ethnic division which was manifest in his press statement, and this according to Opara and others amounted to the fact that the IGP was equipped to continue to propel the leadership post of the Nigeria Police.

In lieu of all these, they went on to make the following demands;
1. Immediately release another press statement wherein you are to, on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force, apologize to the Mbaise People of Imo State.
2. To retract the said disparaging comment and publish same in two national dailies and on the Nigeria Police Force verified social media handles.
3. To resign from your position as the Inspector General of Police for your gross misconduct and violation of the constitution.

They went on to grant the IGP an ultimatum of 1 week to meet their demands or face class action and further legal actions. “May we inform you that if at the expiration of one week from the date of receipt of this letter, you fail and/or neglect to comply with the above demands and resign Honorably for this your gross misconduct and violation of the constitution, we shall invoke our next instruction to institute a class action against you and the Nigeria Police Force for defamation of the reputation of the good people of Mbaise, Imo State, South East of Nigeria. Thereafter, we shall equally approach the court through application of Mandamus to compel the President and the Police Council to exercise their powers under section 7 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.”, the letter read.