The Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo has demanded for extra powers for the force to contain violence at the venues of future elections in the country.

Speaking at the public hearing on "A bill for an Act to further amend the Police Act 1967," Mr. Onovo specifically asked that the police should be empowered to shoot any persons who perpetrate violence through the use of gun at polling stations.

The hearing was organised by a subcommittee of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution. The subcommittee is headed by the Chief Whip, Emeka Ihedioha.

Mr. Onovo also asked for the amendment of the Section 4 (a) of the Police Act by inserting the word "lawfully" in it.

The section states that "Police shall while on duty safeguard the security of the lives and property of citizens during the campaign and voting so that citizens will not feel unsafe on account of holding, associating with or expressing a political opinion." Others demand Mr. Onovo made are that

1. the police should be empowered to arrest, search and detain any person upon reasonable suspicion of concealment of offensive weapons or electoral materials at the venue of any election or any other place, whatsoever;

2. the police should be empowered to use reasonable force to carry out such duties under the Act;

3. the Police should be empowered to arrest and prosecute any offender before, during and after elections;

4. a reasonable time limit should be spelt out to enable the police to return to their routine duties after the election;

5. the Police should be present at the counting centres and given certified copies of all the elections for record purposes; and

6.the police should be empowered to arrest any other person(s) who commit any other electoral offence under this Act.

Mr. Onovo explained that the force is demanding powers to shoot at the venues of election because some members of the public could confront police officers or electoral officers with guns.

He added that the original act does not give members of the force the powers to do anything unless directed by electoral officers being harassed.

He said that, if amended, the nature of confrontation against the police or electoral officers would determine the kind of weapons the police would use. Among the weapons are teargas, water cannon and lethal weapons.

"We all know that when they are coming they don't come in a friendly manner but they come heavily armed. They even fire to scare people away. So, we will need reasonable force to be able to prevent them from stealing, hijacking or altering results. In this case, we have to stop them when they come with, for example, AK 47. So, we want to use firearms when the lives of others are in danger," Mr. Onovo said.

When probed further by the lawmakers on what "reasonable force" means, the Inspector General said it could also include persuasion and dialogue.

Also speaking at the hearing, the former Inspector General, Sunday Ehindero, argued that it is not the Police Act that needed amendment but the Electoral Act 2006.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, told the lawmakers that the bill did not remove any power which the police have but assured that he would reconcile the differences between the bill and the proposals made by Mr. Onovo.

However, member of the subcommittee were suspicious that if given the powers, the police could abuse some of them. They also complained that the powers could be used against members of the opposition parties.

A member, Abdul Ningi, who is also the chairperson of the Police Affairs Committee of the House, said if given the power to arrest, search and detain anybody on reasonable suspicion, the police officers could do so for flimsy reasons.

Another member of the House, George Daika, also complained that if the police were allowed a time limit to stay at election venues, trouble could ensue when they have left.
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http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5443545-146/Onovo_seeks_power_for_police_to.csp

For asking for the right to shoot at polling stations, Onovo is biggest prick in Nigeria right now!

The fool wants the evil men in black to have no reason to slaughter defenseless Nigerians while casting their votes.

This barbaric way of reasoning is what makes me hate the NPF as an institution. These rogues are just trigger-happy cold-blooded murderers in uniform. They must be stopped!!!

WOW!!!!!

Roflmao!!!! . This is a way of scaring people away completely!!! Yes oo!!! Roflmao!!! Shoot them like the same police shot a defenseless boko haram leader and his father.

election rigging has started in earnest

I think they will be scaring the opposition party voters  

Deep Soul:


The opposition will not be scared. They will just find other means to be more prepared. Fire for fire. But fire go pass fire eventually.

And claim they shot while the "offenders" were trying to "escape"

And 2011 is still two years away!

Hmm 2011 will be very dangerous and bloody.

A NUT has gone loose in his head. How can a sane person propose this.
In advanced countries, their police ONLY shoot unless they are fired upon and here, the IG is proposing 2shoot ppl who cause violence durìng elections.
These our leaders are old-school, hv run out of ideas nd as Banky W put it "hv failed our generation nd the generation unborn".

We are at it again o. lol

When the whole world is trying to go civilised, this onovo man is taking us back to pre-democracy era. How you ask for right to shoot pple at public places, instead of looking for ways to solve the problem he wants to add to it.

Who will tell when the police has been bought over by pdp and they are killing all APGA member in broad day light.

If i'm a police man and i see my enemy for polling station na make i kill am be that nah.
So who will be watching the police for their own excesses?

Or is this another way of telling us not to show at the pollin boot so the elections could be rigged. pls lets stop this man o.

Na so these same people go take shoot Iya ibeji come tell us say she was armed and dangerous !!! roflmao!!!

I will go with Ehindero on this one; the electoral act needs amendment and not police acts.

This is one of the most absurd decisions i have seen a person in high police personnel take.So anyone dressed in black can even go to the election venues with guns?Despicable!

Unfortunately, no one has mentioned or reasoned that this guy is seeking this power to help fight off the thugs and riffraffs causing trouble at elections. If you were a police man wont you like to be able to shoot back at the thugs shooting at you?

Everyone seems to turn a positive aspirations on its head because we are all focusing on everything that might go wrong.

r_o_b_b_y:

Unfortunately, no one has mentioned or reasoned that this guy is seeking this power to help fight off the thugs and riffraffs causing trouble at elections. If you were a police man wont you like to be able to shoot back at the thugs shooting at you?
Everyone seems to turn a positive aspirations on its head because we are all focusing on everything that might go wrong.

Story story, story.

So you still do not know that this police men give coverage to the thugs? The thugs chase away the voters leaving just them and the police men for ballot stuffing.

SO you mean say if thug dey shoot police true true , the police go go get permission to fight back? You dey make me laugh

May be we should ask Onovo if his trigger-happy men have permission for the innocent lives they waste everyday. I talk am before say this man na IGG.

Black_Revo:

The Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo has demanded for extra powers for the force to contain violence at the venues of future elections in the country.

Speaking at the public hearing on "A bill for an Act to further amend the Police Act 1967," [b]Mr. Onovo specifically asked that the police should be empowered to shoot any persons who perpetrate violence through the use of gun at polling stations.[/b]

What is wrong in what the IG is proposing? Why do you think thugs are able to seize ballot boxes or scar away voters? You think the thugs come with brooms and rubber slippers?

Is it not the same arming of thugs that turned some parts of the ND into semi war zones?

As a matter of fact I would push for more. Nigerians should reserve the right to bear small fire arms if the government cannot stop the criminals from having them.

How many innocent people need to die at the hands of criminals before we realize that you cannot fight armed men with tear gas and batons?

Another blunder ohhhhhhhhhhhhh
This is a man that i thot will be good cos he was taking off all the sirens.
now he wanna be shooting at polls, how would he know when someone is innocent and yet killed
How would he differentiate btw when the politicians are using the cops as political thugs from when theya re simply doing their jobs.
Seems like all these pple just open mouth and talk without thinking

Dont mind the idiot ,he is a sadist. He is a wolf under the human skin, he is a sycophant, trying to please his boss, they will be killing opponents claiming he comes with weapon, under the nastic "acts" why not ask for an acts of killing now instead of saying during election, fellow nairalanders, he is acting on the order of his boss

Black_Revo:

The Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo has demanded for extra powers for the force to contain violence at the venues of future elections in the country.

Speaking at the public hearing on "A bill for an Act to further amend the Police Act 1967," Mr. Onovo specifically asked that the police should be empowered to shoot any persons who perpetrate violence through the use of gun at polling stations.
http://.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5443545-146/Onovo_seeks_power_for_police_to.csp

     Sometimes, I'm baffled with the level of group mentality Nigerians display while responding to sensitive issues.Most even care less to peruse
     through the whole article line after line to avoid being decieved by the attention grabbing headline.
     
     What's wrong for the police to respond force with force? Some people even used the American system of policing to support their claim but they
     failed to mention that the same American police is empowered to respond forcefully if they deem the suspect to be dangerous to them or the
     Society.
    Although the Nigerian Police may not be the best security outfit one could trust, we should always be grateful to the little they are doing.

IGWE_USA:

     Sometimes, I'm baffled with the level of group mentality Nigerians display while responding to sensitive issues.Most even care less to peruse
     through the whole article line after line to avoid being decieved by the attention grabbing headline.
     
     What's wrong for the police to respond force with force? Some people even used the American system of policing to support their claim but they
     failed to mention that the same American police is empowered to respond forcefully if they deem the suspect to be dangerous to them or the
     Society.
    Although the Nigerian Police may not be the best security outfit one could trust, we should always be grateful to the lttle they are doing.

Their level of reasoning scares me

you guys would turn every thread into a tribal issues.

anyway another one for our trigger happy defense forces.

IGWE_USA:

Sometimes, I'm baffled with the level of group mentality Nigerians display while responding to sensitive issues.Most even care less to peruse
through the whole article line after line to avoid being decieved by the attention grabbing headline.

What's wrong for the police to respond force with force? Some people even used the American system of policing to support their claim but they
failed to mention that the same American police is empowered to respond forcefully if they deem the suspect to be dangerous to them or the
Society.
Although the Nigerian Police may not be the best security outfit one could trust, we should always be grateful to the little they are doing.

So what you are saying is that if faced with force, the nigerian police does not respond because they are not empowered by the constitution? funny

So what explains the extra judicial killings by the police where they hide under the alibi of self defense and response in the line of duty?

Our existing laws already give the police the requisite powers to respond even in election scenario ones peace is breached by weapon carrying thugs. This I believe explains the outrage that this guys are up to some mischief.

Roflmao!!! I don talk am. I am more AFRAID of my fellow Nigerians, than I am those in Power. I weep for Iya Ibeji ooO!!!