Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has condemned the action of the Police on Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi recently. In a statement signed by his media office on Monday, he said; “Nothing justifies the advocacy for the decentralization of the police by allowing states to set up their own more than this.”
According to Atiku, there is nowhere in the world the police would take sides in private political conflicts at the expense of its constitutional role.
The former Vice President regretted that the persistent harassment of the Governor has gone too far to be tolerated by decent public opinion and other leaders.
Atiku argued that the partisanship of the police force would ultimately strengthen agitation for state police.
The former Vice President also noted that, considering the heavy expenditure state governments make to equip and support the police, the harassment of Amaechi could undermine such cooperation, especially the current one percent contribution each state is requested to make towards the funding of the police, which will be deducted at source from their subventions.
Adding further Atiku said; “Police partisanship must stop immediately because it poses a threat to our nascent democracy. Our police forces must concentrate solely on providing safety and security for Nigerians who face ongoing daily threats of violence and kidnappings.”
“Nigeria continues to head in the wrong direction. We face chronic joblessness and now a crippling, three-month long ASUU strike preventing students from attending school. That is where the Federal Government’s focus must be, not on launching partisan police actions.”
