The lopsided policing of Nigerian citizens according to their economic class may soon be over if the recent move of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, is anything to go by.
He has ordered the immediate withdrawal of police personnel attached to billionaire businessman, Emeka Offor; former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode; some clerics and companies across the country.
A former police commissioner, Frank Odita, had told TheNiche in a recent interview that the practice of allocating policemen to Very Important Persons (VIP), was a backward policing strategy. He, therefore, advocated for the scrapping of that kind of policing.
On November 4, as a follow up to an earlier directive of the police boss, the IGP listed 60 individuals, corporate and religious bodies including the Christ Embassy, Think Nigeria First Initiative, Uche Sylva International, Stanel Groups, KYC Holding, among others affected by the directive.
Emeka Offor alone has at least 20 policemen in his convoy when the general population are policed by one officer to 400 citizens.
Other persons affected by the order include Sen Lado Yakubu, Amb. Yuguda Bashir, Uche Chukwu, Sen. Borofice Ajayi, Mutiu Nicholas, Sen. Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Edozie Madu, David Adesanya, Chris Giwa, Chief Godwin Ekpo, Chief Pius Akinyelure and others.
This was contained in a letter with reference no.CB: 4001/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.116/32 dated November 4, addressed to Commissioners of Police, Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit and all Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory by the IG.
The police boss had in a police wireless message dated October 21, 2020, addressed to all state Commissioners of Police ordered them to immediately withdraw the personnel attached to individuals, warning that “any commander who violates this order will bear the consequences.”
But in the latest directive signed by the Principal Staff Officer to the IGP, DCP Idowu Owohunwa on November 4, the police listed the names of VIPs affected by the withdrawal of orderlies.
The Punch reports that the letter titled, ‘Immediate withdrawal of police personnel attached to unentitled corporate entities/individuals,’ read in part, “The attention of the IGP has been drawn to the fact that the police personnel attached to the corporate bodies and personalities are yet to be withdrawn despite extant directives to that effect.
“In line with the subsisting order, the IG directs that you withdraw all the PMF, SPU, CTU, or conventional police operations attached to the affected companies or individuals in any of their locations across the country with immediate effect.”
The IG further directed the senior officers to submit a report confirming compliance not later than November 10.
