Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
The trigger-happy policeman that released the shots that injured a former member of the House of Representatives, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele and five others at a reception rally by All Progressives Congress for its governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has been dismissed from the Force.
The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti Command, Mr. Bello Ahmed, announced this while featuring on a live television programme, on Monday.
CP Ahmed, who was interviewed via the telephone by the television station on the morning show, said “the policeman involved is dismissed already and even though he’s nursing some injury; and at the appropriate time, he will face the law of course. Nigerians will be briefed on the outcome of our actions.”
Ahmed also explained that the politician that brought the erring cop was also in detention and that at the appropriate time, he would be charged to court.
On measures in place for the coming election in the state, the Ekiti CP said: “We have robust arrangement to regulate and observe these political activities as its unwinding in Ekiti State, in fact in the entire state. We just got a robust deployment of mobile policemen and that will be increased as the campaigns are progressing.
“You know what is on the ground will determine what will be done. If the satiation on ground dictates we behave otherwise, we will do provided it is within the confines of the law. This morning (Monday) I’ll be having a meeting with all the political chairmen. We have programmes for them.
“We are going to regulate every inch of activity in the state. We will not sit down and tolerate any act of lawlessness, whoever is involved. The police, we are willing, competent to take action against any group or persons, either individual or groups as far this campaign is concerned.”
Meanwhile, a concerned chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Ariyo-Dare Atoye, who is the convener of a Pan-Ekiti group, Ajoto Ekiti Initiative, and the flag bearer of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Niyi Agboola have demanded an apology and retraction from the state leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for allegedly blackmailing the Governor of the State , Ayo Fayose by accusing him of being behind the shooting.
Atoye also called on the party’s state chairman, Chief Hide Awe to withdraw the allegation against the governor and apologize to Ekiti people for misinforming and misleading them.
They both made the demands while speaking on the development in a live broadcast on a national television on Monday morning.
Advising that politicians should not always bring politics into all issues and incidents of such sensitive nature, Atoye said: “The CP should do something about it is not just the police officer that should be dismissed, the politician who brought him ought to also be made to pay for it. So that they could serve as deterrent to others who are doing such.
The police should also be proactive and put up measures that would prevent such ugly occurrence in the future.
We urge our politicians to ensure that the overriding interest of Ekiti people come first. Politician s should desist from mudslinging thrown at one another which could harm the collective interest of the Ekiti people. I also urge Ekiti elders and opinion movers to enlighten people to look for politicians who have something to offer and not just those who throw verbal invectives. Anyone campaigning for votes must address issues and not throw tantrums.
The politician who brought the trigger happy policeman to Ekiti from Lagos should be investigated and made to dace the music. It will amount to taking sides to just dismiss the officer only.
Atoye also urged the political party gladiators, especially the flag bearer s of both APC and PDP to sign a peace pact to assure the people that the coming election would not be violent.
Also commenting on the development, Ekiti State flag bearer of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Niyi Agboola, said: ” if the APC in Ekiti could have speedily issued a press statement barely 48 hours after the shooting alleging that agents of the sitting governor, who wanted to allegedly assassinate their candidate, were behind the shooting , now that the truth of the matter has been laid bare and showed that they are wrong, I think they should with the same zeal have issues a retraction and even apologize to Ekiti people for misinforming and misleading them. It is not just proper to rush to accuse the government of assassination attempt and and say that you are suspecting the Governor, but when the truth has been laid bare by the police, you now refuse to retract such accusation, “he said .
Corroborating Atoye and Agboola’s call for a retraction from the party, APC chieftain and aspirant for the July 14 poll, Senator Ayo Arise who also spoke at the television programme, agreed the the APC should retract the allegation, saying: ” although, no one should blame the party state leadership for making the assassination accusation against the governor, as the tragic incident had taken everyone who witnessed it by surprise and raised suspicion that the ruling party could be after APC’s candidate. Making a retraction of the accusation I think is in order,” he said.