•The difference between Nigeria and other countries
T he story began from Rivers State. Then followed up in Edo, Ekiti and then, the grandfather of all battles, the National Assembly. Before this time, there were occasional hiccups here and there but not seriously damaging to the political culture as recent development. The Nigerian police had done noble jobs of policing the polity, combating crime and ensuring hitch-free elections in the past. Without them, the crises that characterise many elections would have been worse.

But recently, allegations and counter allegations abound of police taking sides and in interrupting democratic principles.

But the police always have a duty even in democratic settings.

File photo: Rivers House of Assembly crisis

The average Nigerian politician has an attitude. Some politicians are desperate and could go to any length to cause crisis. Politicians believe it is better to ‘win’ an election than to go to the tribunal. And they try to achieve this by hook and crook. Hence the political pathway in Nigeria is littered with broken relationships and strange bed-fellows dinning together to achieve an end.

It has become a daunting challenge to conduct elections that are peaceful, free and fair, and whose results are widely accepted and respected across the country in Nigeria.

Most elections have generated increasing bitter controversies. In most cases, establishing electoral credibility would require that security is provided for the electoral process in all its stages in an effective, transparent and accountable manner. This places the police force at the centre of focus because it is the agency of the state with the statutory responsibility for internal security and for crime control.

But the big question has been, to whom do the police owe allegiance? The people, the government, the law-makers? Under what situation or circumstance should the police intervene in democratic political issues? Is there any justification for the recent drama that played out at the national assembly between the police and the Speaker of the House of Representatives’ convoy or was that just another flagrant disrespect for democracy? Who was right? Who was wrong? Who would be blamed for this seeming betrayal of public trust and a perceived sickening reflection of a debased society where law and order have been thrown to the dogs? What is the guarantee that this national disgrace and continued disrespect for democracy will not keep rearing up its ugly head? As we move towards the 2015 elections, strange things have continued to happen.

In many cases, the Nigeria police were accused of being employed by politicians as tools for intimidating political opponents and members of the public and to influence the outcome of elections.

Nigeria is on the march again towards another round of general elections in the year 2015. The Nigerian police is key to this election but recent developments have put a question mark on the public trust on both the police and the politicians. Events of the past and the present are warning signs.

The President and a governor at war

In Rivers state, the former commissioner of police in the state, now AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu had a running battle with Governor Rotimi Amaechi that lasted from last year till his eventual promotion and removal from the state this year. There was the governor and 27 lawmakers on one side and the police and five lawmakers on the other side. Amaechi’s supporters believed the then Commissioner Mbu was planted by the presidency not to broker peace in the state but to create chaos in the polity.

The situation deteriorated to the point where five out of 32 lawmakers who were allies of former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike tried to impeach the Speaker of Rivers House of Assembly Hon. Otelemaba Amachree. The five law-makers reportedly tried to impeach the Speaker with alleged back-up of heavy police presence at the complex of the Rivers Assembly. One of the five members reportedly seized a gun from a policeman and threatened other members of the Assembly during a scuffle. The Speaker’s car was smashed, a number of the members were beaten to stupor and several others sustained different degrees of injuries.

Situations further deteriorated, making the Rivers Speaker to write an open letter to President Jonathan alleging that the situation in Rivers State had reached a fever-pitch, alleging also assassination schemes in the state. The Speaker went on to accuse the presidency of conniving with the then police boss in the state to collapse the security apparatus in the state and orchestrate breakdown of law and order.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at a ceremony in Abuja on November 11, 2014. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on November 11 declared his bid for re-election, vowing to finally defeat Boko Haram . AFP PHOTO

President Jonathan and the Governor Amaechi’s hostile relationship was believed to have been heightened when Amaechi beat governor Jang of Plateau State to emerge chairman of the Governors’ Forum. Jang was backed by President Jonathan. This led to faction in the Forum. Again, Mrs Jonathan who is also an indigene of Rivers state wanted a measure of control over the affairs of the state but Amaechi was not making it easy for her. Her mole was the then Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike.

The five opposing members allegedly owed allegiance to Wike and were supported by the presidency and backed by the police.

The confusion deepened when a fatal accident involving the vehicle of Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, happened. The police report under then Police Commissioner Joseph Mbu, had it that Lloyd killed a political opponent of his in a premeditated auto accident. Lloyd was accused of running his armoured SUV over a police officer, Sergeant Urang Obadiah, while pursuing “his political opponent”, Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo, before ramming over a VW Passat vehicle in which Ejeuo was driving and killing both men instantly.

Lloyd was later arrested as he tried to “escape” in a private jet believed to be chartered by Amaechi.

Lloyd was one of the 27 members of the 32-member Rivers State House of Assembly that aligned with Amaechi. The police later filed a six-count charge of attempted murder against Chidi Lloyd at the state High Court.

A six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, attempted murder, causing bodily harm and act intended to cause grievous harm were proffered against Llyod. The crisis came to a head when operatives of the state Police Command reportedly fired tear gas and  shot the lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, with rubber bullets. Abe and the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha, had gone to the venue  of  a rally organised by the Save Rivers Movement,  a mobilisation group of the All Progressives Congress, at the College of Arts and Science in Rumuola,  Port Harcourt. The rubber bullets reportedly hit Abe  on the leg and chest while Okocha and others      took a large dose of the  tear-gas.

The senator was rushed to Krisany Hospital in Port Harcourt, where  the Medical Director, Dr. Mckay Anyanwu,  said he (lawmaker)  had internal  bleeding  after being hit by the    bullets.

The Rivers crisis was eventually brought before the National Assembly, leading to a motion by the federal legislators to take over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The House of Representatives felt it had obligation under section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution to take such actions. They also asked the Inspector General of Police to redeploy the then Commissioner of Police from the state to avoid the misunderstanding between him and the governor.

In the motion moved by the Chairman of Rules and Business Committee, Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa, titled “Threat to democracy and inability of the House of Assembly of Rivers State to sit and transact legislative business, the Nigeria Police were accused of inability to provide the legitimate authorities of the Assembly with security. The Rivers State Police Command was slammed for watching the violence unleashed on members of the Assembly without any form of intervention.

The House of Representatives went on to accuse the then Commissioner of Police of taking sides, with five out of a 32 members Assembly who procured thugs and hoodlums to disrupt the sitting of the Assembly and prevented the House of Assembly from performing its constitutional functions.

As bad as it was that the police were linked to it, it became worse with the allegation that the president was also linked to all these skirmishes?

Dr Doyin Okupe had to call a press conference to disassociate the name of President Jonathan from the Rivers state political chaos.

However, the House of Representatives couldn’t take over the Rivers Assembly and could not immediately have the then Commissioner of Police, Mbu removed . The war between the police and governor Amaechi degenerated further. Eventually, Amaechi decamped to the opposition, All Progressives Congress, APC.

Both the police and the political class got knocks for the problem in Rivers state especially as the 2015 general elections are nearing fever pitch. When Joseph Mbu got promoted and was handing over in Abuja, he publicly boasted about spending his time in Rivers to tame Governor Amaechi and successfully doing so.

The political situation in Rivers State is still dangerous today. The federal government is often accused of stoking up crisis in the oil-rich state on purpose.

Alleged thuggery in Edo

In the Edo State House of Assembly, the battle between the APC legislators and the governor on one side and the Edo police command and PDP on the other side began with an attack on the legislative quarters of law-makers in the state on October 11.

Vehicles destroyed by the hoodlums at the Edo Legislative Quarters

Edo Governor, Adams Oshiomhole accused the Edo police command of contributing to the attack, claiming they were informed about the attack but the police intentionally removed securities to pave way for the PDP thugs to invade the legislators’ quar­ ters and unleash terror, de­ stroying 36 cars belonging to members of the All Progres­ sives Congress (APC). The thugs reportedly came on reprisal attack, after a former PDP law­ maker, Hon. Razak Momoh’s seat was declared vacant.

The thugs reportedly shot at doors and windows of seven chalets inhabited by APC lawmak­ ers, leaving property worth several millions of naira destroyed on the trail of their operation. APC lawmakers also reportedly sustained injuries as they fled from the rampaging attackers.

The governor was quoted to have said that the police deliberately stayed away for the attack to happen. According to him, “We made this intelligence available to the Commissioner of Police and you can see that even the minimal police presence here was evacuated so that these thugs can come and have a free reign of terror. This morning, when they as­ sembled at a point they were meant to assemble, the fact was conveyed to the Commissioner of Police.

“They actually assembled at George Idah Primary School before they proceeded and the Police provided supervision for this very serious criminal act. It is very clear that the police command granted permission to PDP to carry out this heinous crime,” the Gover­ nor reportedly alleged.

But the Edo Police command did not accept the allegation. It arrested 12 people in connection to  that attack . The CP dismissed the allegations of governor Oshiomhole that the police were supporting the Peoples Democratic Parties in the state, saying that as the police, the APC and the PDP always accuse the force if things do not favour them.

He said, “What the governor said is not true, we are the police, we are neither APC nor PDP. The PDP accuses us, APC also accuses us if things do not go their ways.

“ The state police command has observed with concern an upsurge in politically motivated violence in the state, particularly in Benin City. This does not augur well for peace and tranquility in the state as we march towards the 2015 general elections.”

The ‘Speaker ‘ in Ekiti

In Ekiti state, what brought the police and the law-makers at war began when Ayo Fayose won the last gubernatorial election. It soon became obvious that there is no love lost between members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, dominated lawmakers in the Ekiti State House of Assembly and the new state government of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Before the second coming of Governor Fayose, the 26-member state assembly had only one PDP member, while the remaining 25 were members of the APC.

That story changed when six aggrieved APC members dumped their party for the PDP, leaving APC with 19 lawmakers and seven PDP lawmakers in the state assembly.

But due to a perceived belief that the APC dominated House of Assembly possessed powers to shut down Fayose’s new government and even have him impeached, the governor decided to take the bull by the horn. Again, the police was alleged to have connived with the governor to frustrate the APC law-makers and hinder them from stopping Fayose’s government.

On November 17, seven members of Ekiti State House of Assembly backed by well armed policemen ‘impeached’ the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adewale Omirin and installed a new one to move Fayose’s government forward. The seven persons were reportedly shepherded into the state assembly complex by Bayelsa born Mobile Police Commander, Selenkere Michael, to do the deed and the police reportedly prevented 19 others including the substantive Speaker from entering the Assembly complex.  The new ‘Speaker’, one Olugbemi, was purportedly “elected” by the seven-man House and he performed his first task of confirming Commissioners, Special Advisers and Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairmen for Governor Fayose.

Just recently, the APC in Ekiti State raised the alarm over alleged threats to the lives of state lawmakers and accused the Nigeria Police of “partisan roles their men are playing in the state crisis.” In a press statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Taiwo Olatubosun, the party had expressed shock over what it called “the police undisguised support for Governor Ayodele Fayose so far in the crisis rocking Ekiti State House of Assembly.

“The police had taken “Fayose’s accusation as their official intelligence report over allegation of a plan by APC to storm Ekiti with thugs recruited from a neighbouring state to cause mayhem.” This accusation stemmed from the police declaration of two members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr Kehinde Boluwade and Mr Sehinde Ogunrinde, being wanted for alleged murder.

The Ekiti State government had requested that the police re-arrest and prosecute them for alleged involvement in some criminal matters in the state. But the Ekiti police had denied allegations of working in concert with Ekiti government against the legislators.

Enter Tambuwal

The situation in Ekiti state was still trending when the police reportedly invaded the House of Representatives with a mission to stop the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal from performing his legislative duty.

Lawmakers at the National Assembly Thursday.

Since the Speaker of the House of Representatives defected to the main opposition party, the All  Progressives Party, APC, in the country, the PDP at the centre felt the first real challenge to Jonathan’s come-back in 2015.

Last Thursday, the police attacked the hallowed chambers of the national Assembly to prevent the House from reconvening. Meanwhile, it was the same President Jonathan who wrote the two chambers of the National Assembly soliciting support to extend the emergency rule in the three Northeast East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. But perceiving that the National Assembly was not favourably disposed to the extension of the emergency rule especially with the controversy over Tambuwal’s eligibility to continue as Speaker, haven defected to APC, the presidency allegedly had the police invade the National Assembly under  the guise of protecting national interest. One question on the lips of many were where the police got the intelligence report that hoodlums were going to attack NASS? The fiasco that followed especially with the Speaker forcing himself into the premises and some lawmakers scaling the fence and pockets of reports about some policemen being beaten up have remained a subject of controversy.

No issues were brought against the Speaker so far and the police have denied plans to arrest him.

In the same vein, the Speaker , Aminu Tambuwal, had expressed readiness to honour any lawful summon by the Nigeria Police or any other security agency.

The Police Force did not keep quiet in the face of allegations. It defended its decision to block the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, from the National Assembly last week, saying their action was based on an “intelligence report” and was meant to forestall the invasion of the assembly by “hoodlums”. “Following an intelligence report of a likely invasion of the House of Representatives by hoodlums and thugs, the Nigeria Police Force promptly deployed their personnel to the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order,” a statement by police spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said.

Just after his defection to APC, the police had withdrawn the Speaker’s security aides and announced that Tambuwal was no longer the Speaker.

In Ojukwu’s press release last week, the police s did not refer to Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The police statement read:

“Following an intelligence report of a likely invasion of the House of Representatives by hoodlums and thugs, the Nigeria Police Force promptly deployed its personnel to the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Consequently, the Police condoned the area and began screening of all members and visitors alike. In the course of this lawful exercise, Alh. Aminu Tambuwal CFR, arrived the venue with a motley crowd, who broke the cordon, assaulted the Police and evaded due process and the Police had the duty to restore order and normalcy, using lawful means. The IGP seizes this medium to warn all political actors and their followers to respect constituted authority and due process and to desist from the use of thugs to pursue their agenda. The Nigeria Police shall continually apply all lawful means to prevent a breakdown of law and order in all segments of the society and shall apply the full weight of the law on any political actor who violates the peace and security of the nation.”

When he appeared appeared before the House Committee on Police Affairs on Wednesday to explain why the Police locked down the premises of the National Assembly and tear-gassed lawmakers on the 20th November, the Inspector General of the police did not mince words when he insisted he could not recognise Tambuwal as Speaker because it was a subject matter that was yet to be decided by the court.

“The matter is in court, therefore it will amount to subjudice to refer to Tambuwal as Speaker,” he said in response to insistence from the members that he explain why he chose to address the Speaker simply as “Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.”

The IGP, had while addressing the committee on what had transpired last week said security mounted at the entrance was disrupted  by “suspected thugs that accompanied Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.”

He said that there was “intelligence report” that there was going to be invasion of the Complex by “hoodlums” had necessitated the cordoning off of the Complex to forestall unpleasant incidence.

“Following an intelligence report of a likely invasion of the House of Representatives by hoodlums and thugs, the Nigeria Police Force promptly deployed its personnel to the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

Police attack at National Assembly: Lawmakers scaling gate of National Assembly as Police blocked National Assembly gate in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan

“Some of the principal officers called me to confirm the strengthening of the security around the vicinity of the National Assembly and I told them that it was based on credible information that there was a plan to disrupt the parliament, especially with what happened in Burkina Faso; that was why the issue of identifying yourself was made and some of the lawmakers complied until Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal arrived with thugs or suspected thugs and disrupted all the arrangement,” Abba said.

The comment rankled members, who felt that the office of the Speaker had been denigrated and immediately exploded by interrupting the IGP and preventing him from continuing.

Attempt to get the IGP to retract his words failed. The law-makers decided to retaliate by addressing the IGP as “Mr. Suleiman Abba” and threatened a walk-out except the IGP retracted what they considered as derogatory to the office of the Speaker, under whom they were constituted as an investigative committee. The hearing almost became rowdy as member after member insisted on calling the IGP to order arguing that the derogatory comments were not only disrespectful to the Speaker, the members that  unanimously elected him, but also a slight on democracy, and must be corrected forthwith.

The Chairman of the committee, Usman Bello Kumo (PDP, Gombe)’s attempt to restore order was rebuffed by members, who were visibly angry and spoke loudly in disdain of the IGP for daring to look down on the leadership of the House, on whose behalf the committee was constituted to investigate the incident in question.

But Abba, who was recently confirmed the IGP, stood his ground insisting that since the matter was before the court of law, it would be subjudice for him to comment on it.  He expressed sympathy for Nigerians who suffered unjustly during the fracas at the NASS where teargas canisters were freely used.

Public outcry

There have been a public outcry over recent face-off between the police and the legislators in both the state and federal levels.

Comrade Babatunde Ogun, a former President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, said the two recent political incidents where police tear gassed civil servants and legislators at the National Assembly and the impeachment of the Ekiti State House of Assembly’s Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, as a rape on the nation’s democracy. Comrade Ogun said that politicians should act with decorum and stop activities that can put the Nigerian nation under tension. Also reacting, the immediate past President of PENGASSAN condemned the manner and behaviour of the police for applying maximum force in stopping the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, from entering the National Assembly Complex, saying that they should have considered the safety of ordinary workers in the Assembly before firing the tear gas.

“The police ought to be non-partisan and perform their sacred duty of maintaining law and order but not causing chaos as seen at the National Assembly on Thursday.” The union leader described the impeachment of Omirin, of Ekiti state as not only unconstitutional but also “illogical, unethical and a show of shame”

Nigeria police can take note of these!

Shockingly, Nigerian legislature is not the only place where fights take place. Political leaders in countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Turkey and many more have also written history with some very ugly and nasty fights during Parliament sessions but the police have never been reported to have taken sides. In some of these cases, security guards stepped in but only to separate fights. In India, for example, protests in the Indian Parliament happen occasionally. Indian MPs have used pepper spray, broken glass and stationery items to hurt each other.

During the protest against the controversial Telangana Bill, things turned ugly the moment Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha session. Angry MPs from the Seemandhra region rushed to the well of the House shouting slogans. Industrialist and suspended Congress MP L Rajagopal, from Vijayawada, sprayed pepper spray in the House causing burning sensations to several MPs and many started coughing and sneezing.

The police stayed away.

In Ukraine, Deputies clashed during debates on the country’s budget for 2014 in the Parliament in Kiev, January 16, 2014. Ukraine’s Parliament approved a 2014 state budget with a deficit of 3.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product despite attempts by the political opposition to block proceedings.

Malam Suleimam Abb

In Taiwan, Legislator Lin Hung-chih from the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) had a scuffle with legislator Chiu Chih-wei from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei August 2, 2013. The police didn’t intervene.

On December 21, 2011, members of the Somali parliament fought after majority voted against the Speaker of the Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden in southern Mogadishu. A total of 287 out of the 290 legislators attending the session voted against the Speaker. In Bolivia, opposition congressman Fernando Rodriguez fought with an indigenous deputy of President Evo Morales’ party during a congress session in La Paz, April 9, 2009. Morales went on a hunger strike to demand Bolivia’s Congress pass an electoral law that could make it easier for him to win control of the legislature in December’s general election. He did not use the police.

In October 2011, Italian deputies exchanged blows in parliament as tensions over a tough economic reform programme came to a head. Claudio Barbato , a member of the opposition FLI party, fought with Fabio Ranieri from the Northern League in Parliament in Rome .

In Seoul November 22, 2011, lawmaker Kim Sun-dong of the Democratic Labour Party fought with security guards after he detonated a tear gas canister towards the chairman’s seat, to try to stop the ruling Grand National Party’s move to ratify a bill on a free trade agreement with the US, at the National Assembly. South Korea’s ruling conservatives had rammed a controversial free trade deal with the United States through parliament but the legislators scuffled and one opposition MP let off a tear gas device and briefly cleared the chamber. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung threw a cushion at Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary John Tsang to demand a universal retirement protection scheme during the annual budget report at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong February 27, 2013. The sign read “No more nonsense. Set up universal retirement protection scheme now.”

In Taiwan on May 8, 2007 legislators fought and injured each other following a fight in Parliament in Taipei. The legislators had thrown stones and lunchboxes in previous sessions after failing to see eye to eye on certain issues. Also on July 8, 2010, opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Kuo Wen-chen fell off the podium while scuffling with ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. Taiwan legislators threw objects, splashed water and kicked one another, sending two to the hospital in a brawl over how fast to ratify a trade pact with China that is shaping up as a pivotal election issue. Police were not involved in all these cases.