Cartoon mayhem: 463 suspects
for trial
By MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
No fewer than 463 suspects held by the police in seven states
for alleged involvement in the recent riots and reprisal attacks
in some parts of the country over cartoons on Prophet Mohammed
published in a Denmark newspaper will soon appear before the
Federal High Court on charges of mischief making, murder,
arson, and wilful damage.
Addressing senior officers from the rank of commissioner of
police and above drawn from police formations nationwide,
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Sunday Ehindero, vowed
that the suspects must face the consequences of their actions.
Giving a breakdown of the figure, the IGP said 20 suspects
were arrested in Niger state, 10 in Anambra; Enugu 9, Borno
205, Yobe 116, Katsina 33, Bauchi 48, and Gombe 22.
Ehindero, who assured that the suspects would be diligently
prosecuted, said "I will mobilize police lawyers to ensure
they are prosecuted in the High Court. They must face the
consequences of their action. We will deal with these vagabonds
who claim they are reacting to one cartoon. We will deal with
them," he stressed.
Disclosing that some of the suspects were arrested with jewelry,
clothes, and other exhibits looted from the homes of their
victims, Ehindero added that the 20-year-old secondary school
girl who allegedly sparked off the riot in Bauchi state was
also in police custody.
"We will deal with her, and she will tell us who sent
her to foment trouble. I learnt the girl was once married
and divorced. How did she get into SS1 in the school. We may
also interrogate the school authorities to tell us their own
involvement," he said.
While commending the Emir of Bauchi and the state governor
for their efforts at curtailing the mayhem in their domain,
Ehindero dimm hope of bail for the suspects who he said, would
not be arraigned before a magistrate court where they could
easily secure bail.
Speaking on the security situation in the country, the IGP
expressed concern over the increasing number of illegal firearms
in circulation, even as he said the police recovered a total
of 140 illegal arms and 5,802 ammunition within the past two
months.
"I am alarmed at the number of arms circulating in the
country. Arms are circulating. The problem is patent, and
unless we do something urgently about this arms proliferation,
our jobs will become abrupt," he remarked.
Ehindero, however, said the police would intensify collaborative
border patrols with other security agencies such as the State
Security Services[SSS], the Nigeria Immigration Service[NIS],
and the Customs.
He also announced that gun detectors and under vehicle search
mirrors already acquired by the police would soon be launched
in all motor parks across the country to screen luggage of
passengers before the vehicles move out of the parks.
As part of efforts to sanitize the police force, the IGP said
all personnel from constable to the highest rank would soon
be re-screened. "We are reactivating the process of re-engagement
into the Force. If a constable is engaged for an initial period
of three years, after that period, he will be re-screened
to see if he is still fit for re-engagement. And those who
came into the Force from year 2000 to date, we will re-screen
them thoroughly to know who came in dubiously," he declared.
In appreciation of the effectiveness and diligence of police
officers, Ehindero said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Jonathan Johnson, who was hitherto second-in-command at the
Oyo state command has been elevated to the next rank and would
fully take charge as CP Oyo command, while Alhaji Abubakar
Audu who was at the helm of affairs in the state had been
redeployed to the Force Criminal Investigation Department[FCID].
ENDS
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