Police drag Senate to court over IG invitation, gives reasons why he can’t be invited again.
The inspector general of police has refused to personally honour the Senate’s summon over alleged ill-treatment of Senator Dino Melaye – Senators, according to the police, were taking the matter of Dino Melaye too personal The police have dragged Nigerian Senate to court to determine if the inspector general of police, as a matter of law, must always appear in person each time the upper chamber invites him.
According to the police, the Senate can no longer invite the inspector general again until the court decides on their prayers.
Mr David Igbodo, commissioner of police, the legal department of the force headquarters, disclosed this on Sunrise Daily, a programme on channels TV. The police were reacting to the recent declaration by the Senate that inspector general of police was an enemy of democracy and unfit to hold public office.
He also accused the Senate of taking the issue of the invitation of the IGP very personal “That declaration that the inspector general of police is an enemy of democracy and unfit to hold office is laughable.
They have no power to make such declaration,” Igbodo said.
Going further, he said that: “The inspector general of police was invited on the 25th to appear on the 26th and unfortunately he was in Bauchi state with the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He sent a DIG to represent him and when the DIG got to the national assembly, the lawmakers said no.
They requested for a brief and the inspector general prepared a brief and gave the brief to the DIG to brief the national assembly on the issue pertaining to Senator Dino Melaye and still, they rejected it, insisting that they want to see the inspector general of police in person.” Channels Television
“At this point, a constitutions issue has arisen, so the inspector general of police said, ok, fine, let us go to court to let the court decide whether he must as a matter of law appear in person each time the national assembly invites him or whether he can exercise his power of delegation under the law and police acts and regulations
. “So we are in court. We posed five questions and seven prayers. And until the court decides that, the national assembly has no power to invite the inspector general of police,” he added.
Meanwhile, It had reported that the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, responded to the Senate for describing him as an enemy of democracy after he failed to appear before it. Idris in a statement via police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, on Wednesday, May 9, accused the Senate of trying to blackmail him. He said he was on an official assignment when he was invited by the Senate and duly asked senior ranking officers to represent him as constitutionally stipulated.
