Police college: PDP chieftain asks FG to probe IGs since 1999

BY BEN AGANDE

ABUJA—A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Muhammad Murtala, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to summon police chiefs from 1999 till date to explain the rot in police formations across the country with a view to ensuring that those responsible for the sorry state of the Police Force are brought to book.

In an interview with newsmen, Alhaji Murtala said in addition to this the Inspector General of Police should be allowed to take full charge of the police while the ministry of Police Affairs should be scrapped as it has not added value to the police.

According to him, the dilapidated facilities at the various police colleges do not represent Mr. President’s vision of enthroning a pragmatic and responsible Police Force for the country.

He added that; “There is the need for President Jonathan to summon top police officers, members of the Senate and House of Representatives committees on Police Affairs, officials of the Police Service Commission and the Ministry of Police Affairs, as well as those who served in police formations from 1999 to date to examine the defects in the police colleges and proffer lasting solutions”.

While expressing regret that some people are trying to play politics with the state of the police formations, Alhaji Murtala said, “the challenge at the moment was to come up with a workable solutions rather than the current blame game.

“Policemen in this country are actually living in abject penury for the past 20 years. I know a policeman who stays in one room with his wife and nine children. It is absolutely ridiculous. Mr. President should call past officials of the Police Force to know what is happening,” he said.

Alhaji Murtala also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to probe spending of budgetary allocations to the police colleges.

He said the probe has become necessary in to verify whether the money budgeted by government to improve the infrastructure and conditions of police colleges have been judiciously utilized.