POLICE INVASION OF nPDP MEETING: TIME TO CREATE STATE POLICE

30^th October, 2013

PRESS RELEASE:

POLICE INVASION OF nPDP MEETING: TIME TO CREATE STATE POLICE

The Nigeria Police recently invaded the venue of a meeting of the G7 Governors held inside the lodge of one of the governors in Abuja.

This is another disturbing development in the Nigerian political arena. It should also interest all stakeholders in the Nigerian project. It does not matter whether we are politicians or not. Nigerians must watch the style of the ruling party. Whole governors are blocked by the police from entering their lodges. The same police is used to seal up opposition secretariats. Police chiefs withdraw security details of state chief executives and now the opposition is not free to associate or hold meetings.

It all boils down to the ruling party using the police to harass the opposition. Those who have been calling for the creation of state police were right afterall. It has become very glaring that the centre is too powerful, giving credence to the saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The need to create state police formations has now become imperative. There must be balance of power.

It was this type of federal recklessness which led past politicians to call on the army to take over power in this country. The buck stops at Mr. President’s table and we hold him responsible for PDP’s political extremism. From the way and manner this country is being run, we are tempted to believe that if Allah lives in Nigeria, our leaders will attempt to break His window. There is absolute lack of the fear of Allah in the attitude of those in power.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is shocked by the impunity of the ruling party. We are deeply worried that the PDP has failed to learn from history. It adds luster to the aphorism that the only lesson that men learn from history is that men learn nothing from history. If January 15^th 1966 is too far in the annals of Nigerian history, what of the recent Egyptian military takeover of power in Egypt?

MURIC is concerned because we know the repercussions of military rule. Or is our memory so short? The features of military rule are very frightening: dictatorship, corruption, lack of accountability, arbitrary arrests, koboko mentality, infringement on fundamental human rights, etc. Our people stress the need to tell the deaf’s son about the excesses of his father so that the latter may eventually hear.

Nigerians must borrow a leaf from the Glorious Qur’an. Chapter 8 verse 25 says, “And fear a tumult which will not affect the culprits alone. And know that Allah is strict in punishment”. It is therefore not this PDP leadership alone that will suffer the consequences of its lawlessness.

MURIC appeals to well-meaning Nigerians and true patriots to call the PDP leadership to order. It was Samuel Butler who said, “Silence is not always tact, and it is tact that is golden, not silence.” The time to speak up is now. We charge the international community to wade in now before this crisis escalates.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

08182119714