Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, is said to have ordered a probe over the police raid of the home of Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku by police operatives in Abuja, Daily Sun has learnt.
The police operatives led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from the Special Investigation Panel are alleged to have broken into the Abuja residence of the governor to conduct a search.
Related: The threat to Gov Ishaku’s life
They claimed to have been deployed with a search warrant from the Special Investigation Panel.
News of the police raid of the governors home has been condemned by Nigerians who see the act as an attempt by the Buhari administration to intimidate opposition party leaders.
It was gathered that the IGP has ordered that the officers involved be investigated to find out if they were acting within their mandate.
Sources say the IGP, who has a record of professionalism, is said to be disturbed about the incident coming at a time when the police is under pressure to turn around its negative image and win back the trust of Nigerians.
A police source, who does not want to be identified, said “the whole thing is embarrassing to the entire police and the authority is not keeping quiet about it.
“I can tell you that the IGP is doing something about it because of his penchant for professionalism.
“He has ordered for an investigation to find out exactly what happened and whether or not those police officers acted within the confine of law.”
“It is expected in any civilized organisation like the police that its operatives inform the headquarters or the commands before embarking on such operations so as not to drag the already dented image of the force to the mud.
“But this was not done in this case, so we will get to know what truly happened after the investigation.
“I can assure you that the force headquarters is carrying out a discreet investigation on the matter,” the source says.
When contacted, Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba declined to comment on the matter, but promised to get back to the Daily Sun reporter, which he never did.
He also did not respond to a text message sent to his mobile phone on the matter at the time of filing this report.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has condemned the raid and called on the IGP and other relevant authorities to investigate the matter with a view to identifying the culprits for necessary action.
Forum chairman and governor of Bayelsa State and Henry Seriake Dickson also urged the national security establishment to adopt appropriate measures to protect Governor Ishaku, members of his family and officials.
Dickson in a statement said:
“We hereby condemn the invasion and forcible entry into the Abuja residence of the Taraba State governor, Arc Darius Ishaku, by people who claimed to be police operatives.
“We condemn the illegal action and call on the police authorities to investigate this disturbing incident with a view to bringing the suspect to book. We also call on the national security establishment to take the requisite step to protect Gov Ishaku, members of his family and officials.”