… To face trial soon
The Police have dismissed the trigger-happy mobile policeman who shot former House of Representatives member, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele and five other party faithful on Friday.
The culprit whose name was yet to be revealed opened fire at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat last Friday at the welcome rally held for the governorship flag bearer, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Bamidele and five other injured party members were hospitalized but the former federal lawmaker has been relocated to Lagos for post-surgery treatment.
The officer was battered by angry party members who smashed his head, inflicted injuries on him and dispossessed him of his service rifle.
Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr. Bello Ahmed, disclosed on Monday that the mobile policeman has been dismissed from service to pave the way for his trial in court as soon as he is discharged from the hospital.
The police boss who spoke on a live programme on Channels Television disclosed that the politician who brought the policeman to Ekiti State from his Lagos base has been detained and he is being grilled by interrogators.
Ahmed said the politician will also be arraigned in court as soon as the Police conclude their investigation into the shooting incident.
He said: “The policeman involved is dismissed already and even though he’s nursing some injury.
“At the appropriate time, he will face the law of course. Nigerians will be briefed on the outcome of our actions.”
Ahmed also spoke on the readiness of the command to regulate the activities of political parties to prevent violence and other acts that could lead to breakdown of law and order.
Part of the measures, according to him, was the deployment of armed policemen from neighbouring states which he said would be a continuous exercise as election approaches.
He added: “We have robust arrangement to regulate and observe these political activities as they unfold in Ekiti State, in fact in the entire state.
“We just got a robust deployment of mobile policemen and that will be increased as the campaigns are progressing.
“You know what is on the ground will determine what will be done. If the satiation on ground dictates we behave otherwise, we will do provided it is within the confines of the law.
“This morning (Monday) I’ll be having a meeting with all the political parties’ chairmen. We have programmes for them.
“We are going to regulate every inch of activity in the state. We will not sit down and tolerate any act of lawlessness, whoever is involved.
“The police, we are willing, competent to take action against any group or persons, either individual or groups as far this campaign is concerned.”
Meanwhile, political parties have promised to rein in their members and maintain peace before, during and after the July 14 poll.
They gave the commitment at a meeting held with the Police Commissioner, Bello Ahmed, at the state police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti on Monday.
Ekiti State APC Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe, described the meeting as a fruitful deliberation, saying the police boss spoke frankly and expressed his feelings about the comportment of political parties.
“The police boss spoke frankly and he told us to warn our supporters to respect the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act and this we have to do in the interest of our dear state.
“We want to rule over living and not dead people, so we need to exercise restraint in the way we conduct ourselves”.
The PDP Chairman, Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, said what the police boss preached at the meeting was civility and decorum from all political parties, which he assured his party will comply with.
“As much as we believe in this, he must also not be unaware of something, you can’t rig election and be expecting decorum.
“What our people will resist is corruption and rigging and once the police and other security agencies are ready to be neutral, then there will be peace”.
National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP) Chairman, Mr. Ifedayo Iyaniwura, said parties urged the CP to ensure security at the poll in which 35 parties will participate unlike the 18 that took part in the 2014 poll.
Speaking at the forum, Ahmed said the command won’t fold its arms and allow people to breach the 1999 constitution and the Electoral Act in the name of election.
He said the meeting convened for stakeholders to brainstorm on how to ensure peaceful conduct of the coming governorship election and that the riot act has been read to them to serve as a guided principle.
The Police boss assured that his men will be neutral in the July 14 election and won’t do anything that would make them look as if they were working for a certain political party.
“What I want from men is professionalism. We are going to be guided by the instrumentality of the law, because this election is going to be a different ball game”.
On the deployment of more anti-riot policemen to Ekiti since last week, Ahmed said: “You know what is on the ground will determine what will be done. If the satiation on ground dictates we behave otherwise, we will do provided it is within the confines of the law.
“We are going to regulate every inch of activity in the state. We will not sit down and tolerate any act of lawlessness, whoever is involved.
“The police, we are willing, competent to take action against any group or persons, either individual or groups as far this campaign is concerned.” (The Nation)
