By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Movement Against Corruption (MAC) has called for arrest and prosecution of police officer behind the attack on Imo state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
It would be recalled that, the Imo state commandant was attacked at the headquarters of the NSCDC in the state.
“The issue started was returning from Abacheke, where hundreds of people died at a bunkery site. When he was about leaving the area , a man started blocking him and his entourage with his old mercedes benz car. The armed personnels ordered him to give way to the commandant but he refused. The security escort approached to beat him but the commandant asked them to leave him.
“This same man followed the commandant enturage to Owerri. As the commandant was about to enter the state command, the man blacked him, saying he is a police officer and brought out a pistol. But officers held him and seized his pistol and locked him. When he was released, he went and brought groups of armed police officers and opened tear- gas everywhere at the command and started shooting pirodically.
“In the process, the State Civil Defence Commandant, Mr. MO Ogar who came out to address the situation was also heavily attacked, beaten with his uniform turn & striped off him. This led the issue to degenerate to exchange of gun battle between men of the sister Para-military agencies that resulted to the unfortunate death of an NSCDC Personnel and many others seriously wounded.”
The assailants were also said to have whisked away the commandant’s orderly.
The moment in a statement issued by its convener, Pius Ga’ar said such rascality by men in uniform must not be allowed to go unpunished.
He said the trigger happy police officers must face the wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to other.
“We as a movement question the behaviour of these officers and want the the Inspector General of Police to prosecute them.
“We also believe that the police officers involve should be treated as criminals because they know something about the explosion at the bunkering site.
“Little wonder why the attack took place while the commandant was returning from Abacheke, where hundreds of people died at bunkery site. Were the officers angry at the swift response of the NSCDC commandant? What was the officer on question doing in that area and in plain clothe? For him not to be dressed in uniform is an indication that he was there for criminal activity.
“We are calling on president Muhammadu Buhari and the IG to swing in to action so as to continue to support the NSCDC in its mandate of protecting critical infrastructure of government.”