IGP’s alleged abuse of office: FG moves to settle out of court with Misau
THE Federal Government has waded into the crisis between the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Isah Hamman Misau, APC, Bauchi Central, and Inspector- General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris and Senator Isah Hamman
A source in the Senate told Vanguard yesterday that the government has decided to intervene in the issue to avoid overheating the polity and not to allow the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, take advantage of the situation to rubbish the federal government. According to the source, the federal government wants both Idris and Misau to settle out of court. Against this backdrop, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, will be meeting with both the IGP and Misau to brainstorm on the way forward and to ensure the matter was settled out of court.
Following allegations against the Inspector- General of Police on corruption, nepotism, misuse of office, misappropriation of funds, illegal promotion, posting of Senior officers by Misau, the SGF wants a situation of no victor, no vanquished. Consequently, Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the allegations levelled against IGP, the Police, and Police Service Commission, which is chaired by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Francis Alimikhena, APC, Edo North, may suspend the investigation until the SGF has completed his assignment in reconciling the two people parties involved in the matter. The source said:
“The committee may not meet now because the federal government, through the SGF, is going to have a meeting with the IGP and Senator Misau to ensure that there is no victor, no vanquished. ‘’The federal government is intervening and trying to resolve the matter and at the end of the day, settle out of court.’’ It would be recalled that the Inspector- General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, had on November 8, appeared before the Senate Committee. The IGP, who appeared in company of his lawyer, Alex Iziyon, SAN, to clear himself of allegations against him, had said he appeared before the committee because of the respect he had for the Senate as an institution, stressing he had nothing to hide. He also engaged the Senate in a verbal war regarding the legality or otherwise of the upper chamber’s probe of corruption allegations against him.
The IGP, who noted that since the case for which the investigation was ordered was already in court, it would be subjudice for him to respond to any queries from lawmakers. He said he decided to appear before the committee because of the need to comply with the constitutional provisions which mandated him to honour invitations from parliament. Vanguard
