Suleiman Abba Esq.
Acting Inspector-General of Police,
Police Headquarters,
Louis Edet House,
Abuja, FCT.

ILLEGAL POLICING OF THE REPUBLIC

Since you were appointed the Acting Inspector-General of Police by the President of the Republic on July 31, 2014 the Nigeria Police Force has been involved in partisan politics to the detriment of law and order in the country. Permit me to draw your attention to three glaring cases of political bias recently displayed by the Police under your leadership.

Firstly, the Osun State governorship election which took place on August 9, 2014 was almost marred by the Police and other security forces which arrested and detained over 700 leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Indeed, some electoral officers who were assumed to be members of the APC were also railroaded to police custody. But for the personal intervention of Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the said electoral officers would not have been released. Thus, the election would have been disrupted by the police and other security forces whose duty it was to maintain law and order during the democratic exercise. However, the detained APC leaders who were released after the election have not been charged to court for breaching the provisions of the Electoral Act or any other law whatsoever.

Secondly, Mr. Joseph Mbu, the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 of the Nigeria Poilice Force announced a ban any rally demanding for #bringbackourgirls within the federal capital territory. The ban was designed to assuage the feelings of some officials of the Federal Government who are embarrassed by being reminded of their constitutional duty of rescuing the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted 6 months ago by the nihilist boko haram sect. In a judgment delivered last week, the Federal Capital Territory High Court declared the ban illegal, null and void on the ground that it constituted an infringement of the fundamental rights of the patriotic campaigners to freedom of assembly and expression guaranteed by the Constitution. In spite of the judicial indictment you have not deemed it fit to call Mr. Mbu to order for the reckless abuse of police powers.

Thirdly, you caused the security details of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to be withdrawn last week on the ground that he had decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC. As if that was enough, you decided to usurp the judicial powers of the federation which are exclusively vested in the courts by section 6 of the Constitution when you claimed that the Speaker had lost his office and seat as a federal legislator having contravened section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution. By your illegal pronouncement you disregarded section section 50 (2) (c) thereof which stipulates that the Speaker of the House of Representatives can only be removed by a resolution passed by votes on not less that two thirds majority of the members of the House.

No doubt, your actions and utterances in the circumstance have exposed the Police to unwarranted ridicule as Nigerians are not unaware of the fact that when the Ondo State legislators elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) decamped to the PDP last month your office did not declare their seats vacant. In particular, you did not withdraw the security details of Honourable Jumoke Akindele, the Speaker who led her colleagues to dump the LP for the PDP. In the same vein, Honourable Ahmadu Fintiri, the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and his colleagues who decamped from the PDP to the APC and have since returned to PDP. You did not have cause to declare their seats vacant. Neither have you withdrawn the security details of the Honourable Fintiri.

Thus, by subjecting Honourable Aminu Tambuwal to selective persecution on ground that he decamped from the ruling party you violated his fundamental right to freedom from discrimination. As you are no doubt aware, it is a breach of section 42 (1) of the Constitution and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to subject any citizen of Nigeria of a political opinion to disabilities, deprivation and restrictions to which other citizens who hold alternative views or opinions are not made subject. Since the security details of other Speakers who decamped from the APC and LP to the PDP have not been withdrawn those of Honourable Tambuwal were illegally withdrawn. They ought to be restored without any further delay.

From the information at my disposal your harassment of the Speaker was instigated by the Presidency. But having regard to section 215 (3) of the Constitution which enjoins you to carry out the “lawful directions” of the President of the Republic with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order the actions taken on the Speaker are illegal and unconstitutional in every material particular. Therefore, you should withdraw your pronouncement on the office and seat of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal and advise the ruling party to seek redress in the Federal High Court on the constitutional implications of the defection. Furthermore, unless he is removed by his colleagues in the House of Representatives or by a competent court in the land Honourable Tambuwal remains the Speaker of the House. Neither the Police nor any other agency of the Federal Government can be allowed to resort to self help on the matter.

As law and order in the country cannot be maintained by a compromised Police institution you may want to resign your appointment if you are not prepared to discharge your onerous constitutional responsibilities without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Before making up your mind may I remind you of the eternal injunction of the Supreme Court in the case of Attorney-General of the Federation v Atiku Abubakar (2007) 10 NWLR (pt 1041) 1 at 183. As the undisguised bias of both the INEC and the Police could not be justified over the illegal removal of the Vice-President for decamping from the ruling party to one of the opposition political parties the apex court held inter alia:

“Having regard to the nature of the function which the Nigeria Police Force also performs, that
body must also insulate itself such that impartiality and fairness may at all times be ascribed to
it. A situation where both of them ( the Inspector-General of Police and the Independent National
Electoral Commission INEC) appeal in the instant case is very much in bad taste.They have both
thrown the quality of impartiality and fairness which they must possess to the winds. Their acts
capable of eroding the public confidence in them. Unknown tob them, they may be said, by the
the public, to be biased and therefore not worthy to be regarded as impartial umpires. This trend
must not repeat itself for the good of the nation.”

Finally, if the trend of subverting the Constitution, the Police Act and the Electoral Act by your good self and other top police offices continues unabated we shall not hesitate to approach the Federal High Court to determine your competence and suitability to superintend and manage the Nigeria Police Force in the public interest.

Yours Sincerely,

Femi Falana SAN.

http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/?p=165974

Typing...

Conspiracy Theories every where.
Mr. Falana, go and sleep!

All dis story don tire me. I just wish say I go fit get small money take start one small business to day bring yam from kano to Lagos

Falana you know little about police duties just as police cannot stand you in law. Let the IG perform his job Falana cannot be mr know all like OBJ. Plse park

Dead on arrival.
Unfortunately for Femi Falana, it has emerged (on concrete intelligence) that the IGP was actually working for Buhari. In fact during the governorship elections, teams of police officers and men were despatched from Abuja to Rivers and Akwa Ibom with a directive to help the APC's course.

Look before you leap.

omolami:
Falana you know little about police duties just as police cannot stand you in law. Let the IG perform his job Falana cannot be mr know all like OBJ. Plse park

My friend is it that you cannot read very well or you lack comprehension,or you decided to display your ignorance on the internet??..when the same police man was busy interpreting the constitution and locking out and stopping tambuwal from entering into the house, hypocrites like you never saw anything wrong in that,you never asked if the police IG was a lawyer that should be interpreting the constitution..now femi falana is stating the obvious you are busy cluelessly saying he knows little about police duties...

tinkinjow:
Dead on arrival.
Unfortunately for Femi Falana, it has emerged (on concrete intelligence) that the IGP was actually working for Buhari. In fact during the governorship elections, teams of police officers and men were despatched from Abuja to Rivers and Akwa Ibom with a directive to help the APC's course.

Look before you leap.

Why are you always talking nonsense and foolish things??Saying you are dumb is an injustice to dumb people,you are terribly terrible,,have you forgotten the same IGP was the one that did not allow the APC tambuwal to enter into the house.....very soon you will come and tell us the IGP is working for late fela....

SeverusSnape:
Conspiracy Theories every where.
Mr. Falana, go and sleep!

Some of you are an educated illiterate,do you even understand the meaning of conspiracy theories??you people will just be cluelessly shouting conspiracy theories**

.

shoro niyen?

Falana and his epistles ni.

Meanwhile here's a thread on amorc :
https://www.nairaland.com/2225497/ask-me-question-amorc-other

tinkinjow:
De

Look .

Do you have proof?

Please....stop lying....or if it is true...post your proof here...and report to the right authorities.

Remember that you are responsible for anything you post here. So...it is important that you tell the truth at all times...and do not make allegations because it sounds sweet for mouth

Pls Femi Falana... I want you yo help me with Alh kashamu article & any guideline on how someone can apply for job at d new Aso villa at otouke


Because to write d sweet u.!!

He came, he saw, he failed.

gbam

ABOK1
KINI BIG DEAL

[size=18pt]Do u still remember this show of shame?? Is still very fresh in my memory, the sacked IGP was used to do this
. If he was sack by the same boss am not surprised, he deserves it[/size]

Hmmm just passing o

As Jonathan sacked him. It's a lesson not only to him, but also to anyone else, who's aim is to insult people.

You will reap what you have sowed!

Suleiman Abba how market!

Like if you think and know Jonathan is a clueless daft.

THE EX IGP GOT WAT HE DESERVED..

HE WAS PARTISAN TILL ALMOST THE END

HIS BIGGEST CRIME AGAINTS NIGERIAN WAS THE HOR TEARGAS SAGA

Okay

That Suleiman Abba with his black face and white teeth looking like a roasted goat was an embarrassment to every policeman.

He spoke anyhow, acted without recourse to the law like an illiterate and was one of Jonathan's biggest problems.

His ignoble role in the Osun State Election as well as the Tambuwal matter made the whole world see his moral emptiness and intellectual unclothedness.

Under his watch, robbers robbed a bank in a city the President was visiting and he could do nothing, not even a whimper.

The only time we saw him in action was in tear-gassing old men in the House of Reps.

He was poor at his job, weak in action, uncouth in speech, and didn't provide exemplary leadership to his men.

As the IGP, wives of dead policemen protested for the entitlements of their late husbands and he didn't give a damn.

I wish him goodluck as he is condemned to the dustbin of history pending when Buhari picks him up for prosecution.

This guy actually is a saint compared to Marylin Ogar.

That man has already done a lot of damage to APC not to even get a force retirement if he wasn't sacked by GEJ. He repented too late and that was even after the Presidential election. Anyways, let's see how Baba handles this when he assume office.

The IG is not worthy been at that position, he is an APC member. He worked for buhari, so let him go and rest, posterity will judge them. You have not heard all, from now to 6 months time, Nigerians will know how and who play roll of rigging Jonathan out.

Hmmm,,, next

He's been fired anyways...a typical example of a use and dump.

I was here.

SeverusSnape:
Conspiracy Theories every where.
Mr. Falana, go and sleep!

Na wa oo. Are you sure you know the meaning of "conspiracy theory"??

Did he withdraw the Speaker's security detail or not??

Was BBOG rallies banned in Abuja or not??

Were APC officers detained in the course of Osun elections or not??

Where is the "theory" here

Na wa for some people oo.