THE Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, yesterday, ordered Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and state Commissioners of Police in the North to arrest and bring to book, those behind Tuesday’s three-month eviction notice to Igbo in the northern part of the country.
He also charged various State Police Commands to begin a manhunt for those beating the drums of war across the country, saying: “Anybody, individual or group that attempts to prevent any Nigerian from carrying out his daily activities, the constitution vests in us the responsibilities to ensure that those guys are stopped by all means.” Idris spoke at Force Headquarters, during a meeting with 36 state Police commissioners and officers above the rank of commissioners.
The IGP’s order came as more reactions trailed the eviction notice with the House of Representatives asking the security agencies to be combat ready and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, saying the threat was free speech taken too far.
The IGP said: “I think the Nigerian Police Force have responsibility to stop these groups and I think the announcement was made by some groups that called themselves by Arewa; nobody has that authority to stop any Nigerian from participating or to reside in any part of this country.
“It is a constitutional right and I believe it is illegal and I think as CPs, AIGs of commands we have responsibility to ensure that these groups do not prevent other Nigerians from exercising their individual rights.
“I think it is very important and I want to use this opportunity to call all of you to prevent some of these groups that obviously are acting outside the constitution of the law of this country…we are not going to allow some of these groups to carry out these threats. These are the issues that we are here to discuss.
