Speaker tears IGP apart after meeting Buhari at the Villa

Speaker Yakubu Dogara has described as unacceptable the recent behaviour of the Nigeria Police under the leadership of the Inspector General,

Addressing journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, May 7, 2018, Dogara said that Nigeria is a democracy and all persons and institutions including law enforcement agencies must operate within the ambit of the law.

The Speaker disclosed that he and Senate President Bukola Saraki raised the issue of treatment meted to Senator Dino Melaye by the Police.

“Nigeria is a democracy. The police must operate within the ambit of the rule of law and due process. It is unacceptable for the police to continue to operate like a clan of tribesmen, a sort of upgraded barbarians”, Dogara said.

“Anything that happens to one of our members or any member of the National Assembly is of concern to us. And there is no way we can have this kind of meeting without raising that.

“This is a civilian administration, it is democracy and it is imperative and very very important that all institutions of democracy operate within the ambit of the rule of law.

“There is nowhere, I have said it before that police will behave in a democracy like a clan of tribesmen, like upgraded barbarians sort of. So there is need for us to act with civility.

“We are not saying that anybody should be protected and defended. Once you have committed an offence, our law says you should answer it but you just have to utilise the provision of our constitution, the rule of law and this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has over emphasised in order to bring people to book.

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“But a situation where people are wheeled to court, that doesn’t give a good image of our democracy. I have not seen a democracy where people are wheeled to court, they are not in the proper frame of mind and they are forced to undergo trial.

“Whatever it is, even if Dino is pretending as some have said in some section of the media, he cannot pretend forever. He is there, he will not run away, he is a senator and he can be tried any time he is in proper frame of mind.

“As a lawyer, I can tell you, any judge that assesses an accused person not to be in a proper frame of mind, even if the accused person pleads guilty, he is duty bound by law to record a plea of guilty if he is not satisfied as to the soundness of the mind of the accused person,” the Speaker added.

Dogara had condemned the treatmentmeted out to Melaye while advising that the Police should consider the Kogi lawmaker’s health before any other thing.