By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

Nnewi—The International Society for the Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, yesterday faulted the composition of the Nigerian Police Force counter insurgency operations in Northeast Nigeria, describing it as lopsided and fraught with ethnic bias.

In a statement from its Chima Ubani Centre and signed by its board chairman, Emeka Umesgbalasi, Intersociety alleged that the entire counter-insurgency operations are riddled with unearthed controversies impatiently demanding demystification.

It also alleged that the Inspector-General of Police erred by selecting the policemen for the operation mainly from South-East, South-West and South-South, leaving the entire North with infinitesimal number of policemen for the operation they should have produced the highest number of officers.

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It said: “The Nigerian Police recent skewed selection along ethno-religious lines on orders of the outgoing Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris is not only an eye opener but also a clear indication that the entire counter-insurgency operations are fundamentally riddled with unearthed controversies impatiently demanding  demystification.

No fewer than 167 police officers drawn from various squadrons of the Mobile Police Force unit of the Nigeria Police Force for counter-insurgency operations in North-East Nigeria were mainly from the southeast, south-south and southwest

“Apart from stiff protests or opposition trailing the skewed selection, on account of its glaring ethno-religious bias or lopsidedness, the Nigeria Police Force which initially engaged in defenceless denials of reports of bias and lopsidedness somersaulted and announced the dismissal of 121 of the 167 police officers for the operation. The NPF had while announcing their dismissal accused them of “mutiny” and “desertion”.

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Intersociety disclosed that it has discovered that “out of the affected 167 police officers comprising those in the ranks of Inspectors and Sergeants, officers of Igbo ethnic nationality are in majority with not less than 50, followed by those of the Yoruba ethnic nationality with 42.