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The Nigeria Police says the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, did not err by asking Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) to represent him at the Senate.
Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Jimoh Moshood, said this in a statement on Thursday while explained the reason for the decision of the police boss.
IGP Re-summoned After Shunning Senate
Mr Idris had failed to show up at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly on April 26, following a summon issued to him by the lawmakers.
While he was expected to brief the senators on the on the arrest of Senator Dino Melaye and killings across the country, the IGP was among those who accompanied President Muhammadu Buhari to Bauchi State.
Some of the lawmakers in the Upper Chamber had faulted the police boss and accused him of disrespecting the Senate by sending a representative.
Mr Moshood, however, argued that his boss was not wrong to delegate a DIG to represent him, noting that he acted within the ambit of the law.
“The functions, duties and responsibilities of the Inspector General of Police as listed in Section 215 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can also be carried out as mentioned in section 312 (1) of the Police Act and Regulation by a senior officer of the Force of the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police and Assistant Inspector General of Police who, if permitted by the Inspector General of Police to act on his behalf or represent him in official capacity at any function, event or programme within and outside Nigeria, can do so in consot with the provisions of the Police Act and Regulation.
“It is on the basis of the above that while the Inspector General of Police is on an official assignment in Bauchi State that he delegated the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations, to represent him and honour the invitation of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria in respect of the offences for which Senator Dino Melaye was taken into police custody, investigated and to be arraigned in the Federal High Court, Lokoja without further delay,” the statement read.
The police spokesman further asked the public to be informed that the IGP acted rightly in accordance with the provisions of the constitution by delegating the DIG to the Senate.
He noted that the Nigeria Police Force is a law abiding organization and holds the Senate and its leadership in high esteem.
Moshood, however, urged the Senate not to personalise or trivialise the purported offences indicting Sen Melaye from confessions of two suspected kidnappers in Kogi State.
He asked the lawmaker to allow the rule of law and justice to prevail in the matter.
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