The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Joseph Mbu, says the threat he issued to kill 10 people for every policeman killed made the governorship and assembly elections to be peaceful in Lagos.
Mbu spoke on Saturday after monitoring the elections in some parts of the state with journalists.
The AIG visited the Ikeja, Agege, Alimosho, Somolu, Ogudu, Yaba, Lagos Island and Gbagada areas of Lagos State, among others.
There was no chaos or fight in all the areas as residents cheered the police team.
However, three people were arrested in the Ikeja GRA for moving around in their cars, while a passerby, who attempted recording the scene, was equally apprehended.
His Smartphone was smashed on the ground by a policeman.
At the end of the tour, Mbu lauded the courage of policemen in the state and the orderly conduct of the elections.
Asked what was responsible for the peaceful conduct of the elections, Mbu said, “Generally, people are becoming more and more mature.
“Also, the statement I made, which people misconstrued, also helped the police because people say, ‘this man has come o, and whatever he says, he means it’, and that instilled fear in them. Go and check all the places where I served, how many people have died? We don’t kill anyhow.
“But you have to instill fear so that people will have more respect for the police.
“Now we have succeeded as far as I am concerned.”
The AIG acknowledged some fracas in the Agric, Ikorodu area of the state, saying it was minor and the police were able to arrest the situation.
Lagos – Vehicular movement restriction in Lagos State may be extended from 6p.m. to 8p.m. at the governorship and House of Assembly polls, AIG Joseph Mbu has said.
Mbu, who is in-charge of Zone 2 comprising Lagos and Ogun States, told newsmen on Saturday when he visited Mr Akin Orebiyi, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, had on Thursday announced the restriction of vehicular movement from 8a.m. to 5p.m. nationwide.
The AIG explained that the extension would be limited to Lagos State, saying the extension was to facilitate the smooth conduct of the elections.
“Lagos is not like other states; it is a peculiar state. Last time, I had to extend the restriction time from 6p.m. to 7p.m.
“It is most likely that we would have to extend it to 8p.m. (today) Saturday.
“Therefore, those involved should be on the alert so that we don’t start having crisis.
“We have to give this election all that it takes to ensure that it is peaceful,” he said.
Mbu said that the visit was to make the April 11 elections more successful than the March 28 elections.
NAN reports that the AIG inspected all logistics of police operations on ground at INEC state office in Yaba to ensure their functionality.
Meanwhile, Mr Gabriel Abafi, the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has commended the orderliness of voters during accreditation.
Abafi gave the commendation during a visit to Polling unit 002 at the State Grammar School, Surulere, Surulere Local Government.
NAN reports that the polling unit was where Gov. Babatunde Fashola was registered and accredited.
The commandant said he had gone to many polling units in the state and had expressed satisfaction with the orderly manner voters conducted themselves.
He, however, noted that the turnout of voters was low compared to the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“But the turnout has been low. We don’t know why. We had expected more turnout than what we had during the last elections,’’ he said.
Abafi urged all candidates to accept the results of the polls as the wish of the people. (NAN)
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An Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Mbu Joseph Mbu Monday failed to appear before the Federal High Court in Lagos in a suit seeking his removal.
He was also not represented by any lawyer despite being served with the suit.
The plaintiff, Mr Tope Alabi, a lawyer, is praying the court to strip Mbu of his rank and declare his office vacant for allegedly abusing his powers.
The plaintiff’s lawyer Mr Oladare Falana, who stood in for Mr Femi Falana (SAN) said the defendants had been served.
He said he was surprise that the defendants were not in court or represented by any lawyer.
“We have served all parties to the case with the processes.
“We have a motion on notice supported by a 27-paragraph affidavit and a written address.
“I seek to adopt the written address along with the motion on notice,” Falana said.
Justice Ibraahim Buba said that there was no doubt that the defendants had been put on notice as he had the proof of service.
In the substantive suit, numbered FHC/L/CS/149/15, the plaintiff is seeking a declaration that the first defendant (Mbu) “is unfit to be a police officer in Nigeria”.
It followed Mbu’s alleged threat to kill 20 innocent civilians for any policeman killed during the general elections.
The plaintiff is praying the court to direct Inspector-General of Police Suleiman Abba, the Police Service Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) (who are the second to fourth defendants) to declare Mbu’s office vacant and replace him without further delay.
Alabi said Mbu, as a senior police officer, swore to uphold to the rule of law and abide by the Constitution, but has allegedly been behaving as if he is above the law.
The latest of Mbu’s action, the lawyer said, is his directive to policemen under his Zone 2 Command covering Lagos and Ogun State. “If one of my men is killed, I shall kill 20 of them but don’t shoot first,” Mbu was quoted as saying.
Alabi is praying the court to determine whether Mbu is fit and proper to remain in office considering his controversial utterances and “his public misconduct,” and whether the lives of Nigerians are not in danger as long as Mbu remains in office.
The plaintiff wants the court to hold that Mbu’s threat as widely reported in the news media is ultra vires (beyond his powers) and therefore in breach of Section 308 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.
Alabi also wants a declaration that his life and those of other Nigerians are in danger as long as Mbu remains in office, and that their rights cannot be guaranteed unless Mbu is removed.
The plaintiff prays for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mbu from giving any orders during the March 28 and April 11 general elections.
The plaintiff is asking for an order stopping Mbu from arresting any governor in light of Section 308 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution. The AIG had told officers to arrest any governor who goes to polling unit with an entourage.
Alabi said Mbu has no powers under the law to personally kill or direct officers under his control to kill innocent Nigerians in retaliation should any officer be attacked.
According to him, by Mbu’s utterance, he has chosen to flout the laws he swore to uphold as his statement is “capable of inciting mass killings, violence and anarchy.”
Alabi recalled that Mbu served in Rivers State and in the Federal Capital Territory where he continued to violate the Constitution by exhibiting “intolerant and unlawful” behavior, to the extent that the IGP had to distance himself from Mbu in the latest instance by restating that the mandate of the police is to “save and protect lives and not to kill.”
“It is in the interest of justice to declare the first defendant unfit to be and to remain a police officer in Nigeria, considering his public conduct all the time and to declare his position and seat vacant and a replacement made without delay ,” Alabi said in a supporting affidavit to the originating summons.
Mbu, the newly posted AIG in charge of Zone 2, rose to infamy for his unguarded utterances as well as his recent clashes with politicians, civil society activists, and journalists.
Last year, the #BringBackOurGirls protesters in Abuja slammed a N200 million damage suit against the Nigeria Police after Mr. Mbu banned their daily sit-ins to demand the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls. The police hierarchy promptly reversed the ban and the suit was dropped.
Also last year, Mbu detained and arraigned a journalist before a Magistrate for branding him ‘controversial’ during a TV programme. The magistrate struck out the charges.
Justice Buba adjourned till March 20 for hearing on the plaintiff’s interlocutory injunction.
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered the service of court papers on the Police Service Commission in Abuja in a suit seeking declaration that an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, is unfit to remain a police officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Femi Falana
The ex parte application for leave of court to serve the PSC outside of jurisdiction was brought before Justice Ibrahim Buba by a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN).
Falana had on Thursday appeared in court and announced appearance as counsel representing the plaintiff, a lawyer, Mr. Tope Alabi, who filed the case.
Alabi is urging the court to compel the Inspector General of Police; the Police Service Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately declare Mbu’s office with the Force vacant over alleged abuse of power.
The plaintiff’s legal action against the AIG stemmed from a recent order reportedly given by Mbu to the police officers of the Ogun State Police Command to kill 20 civilians for any police officer killed during the general elections.
Alabi is contending that Mbu, having sworn to uphold the rule of law and abide by the Constitution, acted in contravention of Section 308 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, when he gave such an order to his men.
According to the lawyer, such an utterance, which was widely reported in the national dailies was “capable of inciting mass killings, violence and anarchy,” in the country.
At the hearing of the case on Thursday, Falana, after announcing appearance, brought the ex parte application to the notice of the court.
He said, “My Lord, we have a motion for leave to serve the third respondent outside jurisdiction.”
The plaintiff also filed three other applications which have not been heard.
They are a motion for interim injunction restraining Mbu from giving any orders to officers under him during the general elections pending the hearing of the plaintiff’s motion for interlocutory injunction.
The motion for interlocutory injunction is seeking to restrain Mbu from giving any orders pending the hearing of the substantive suit.
The plaintiff also has a pending application seeking to abridge the time within which the suit will be heard and determined in view of its urgency.
Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police and current Assistant-Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, has said he was misquoted by reports that he ordered policemen to kill 20 civilians for every officer killed in the coming general elections.
Mbu in a statement signed by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olugbemiga Adeoye, explained that he only “advised his policemen not to be cowardly but to be guided by Force Order 237 on the use of their firearms.”
According to him, the firearms are not only meant to defend themselves but also others “including fellow police officers when their lives are in danger.”
The AIG, who said he was quoted out of context, believes that reports on the issue have been fraught with political undertone.
He said such reports were geared towards portraying him in a bad light and as an officer who does not uphold the rule of law.
The statement said, “Although policemen are not to be seen with firearms within a specific radius of the polling area, quick response squads will be created to respond to distress calls.
“There is no society in the world where policemen will be killed by hoodlums and the perpetrators will be allowed to escape justice.”
He said he was also quoted out of context on the alleged order to arrest governors at polling units.
“What he (Mbu) said was that no highly placed individuals in the society who have police escorts and other forms of personal guards will be allowed within the voting area accompanied by such retinue of escorts,” the statement said.
A motion on alleged disrespectful conduct and utterances of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone II Command, Mr. Joseph Mbu, on Tuesday divided members of the House of Representatives along party lines.
Senate
It has become difficult of late for members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House and their All Progressives Congress colleagues to speak with one voice on any issue.
The rift became wider following a series of defections from the PDP to the APC, which gave the latter a higher numerical figure of about 180.
The PDP, hitherto the majority party, has dropped to around 161 members.
On Tuesday, an APC member from Kano State, Mr. Alo Madaki, moved a motion asking the House to “condemn” Mbu for alleged violations of the 1999 Constitution and showing “disrespect for the rule of law.”
Madaki recalled that Mbu recently directed officers and men under his command to “disregard any immunity being enjoyed by state governors” under his zone.
He also said the AIG had directed his men to kill as many people as possible in retaliation for any policeman killed during the upcoming general elections.
Madaki further told the House that Mbu “abused” his office when he served as the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command.
He argued that Mbu’s conduct and utterances were a violation of the constitutional immunity of the governors and also proved that he had little regard for the lives of Nigerians.
But, PDP members consistently interrupted him, accusing Madaki of passing judgment on Mbu before he was heard.
One member from Ebonyi State, Mr. Linus Okorie, raised a point of order to stop Madaki.
Okories shouted that Mbu must first be given fair hearing before a judgment of condemnation was passed on him.
The House suddenly became rowdy as APC lawmakers shouted at Okorie to sit down.
“Sit down; sit down; you don’t have anything to say,” some of them shouted.
As the rowdiness continued, the presiding Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, tried to rule on the motion, but he too was interrupted by both parties.
However, pressure was mounted on Madaki to amend his motion to read that the House should “investigate” Mbu’s alleged conduct and utterances.
Madaki deleted “condemn” from the motion and replaced it with “investigation by the House Committee on Police Affairs” before the motion was later passed in a majority voice vote.
Meanwhile, a scheduled debate on the use of the military during elections was postponed till Wednesday.
The House had last week referred the matter to its joint Committees on Rules/Business, Justice and Judiciary for advice after it pitted PDP and APC lawmakers against one another.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, Mr. Joseph Mbu, has said that there is no big deal in the number of people policemen under his command can kill in self-defence.
Joseph Mbu
He said since policemen were also human beings, they should be ready to take revenge on any violent group(s) that might attack them or other innocent citizens.
Mbu spoke with some journalists in Olorunsogo, Ogun State, during the inauguration of the Olorunsogo II Power Station by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The journalists had approached the AIG, who led policemen to provide security for the President at the event, to clarify the controversial statement credited to him that 20 civilians would be hacked down for every policeman killed.
“If one of my men is killed, I shall kill 20 of them, but don’t shoot first. If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence,” Mbu had been quoted in the media to have told his men at the Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, during a recent visit.
Mbu on Friday said the media account was mischievous and contrary to what he said in Abeokuta.
He also said that he contemplated arresting the journalists who wrote the reports to show proof that he indeed said what was reported.
Curiously, however, Mbu restated the media account he had tried to debunk.
He said, “I still stand by what I said. And what I said is very clear: that if any violent group attacks my policemen, my policemen should attack them violently.
“If any violent group attacks a law-abiding citizen in a bid to cause injury or cause harm, the police should repel and save that law-abiding citizen because we have the powers to do so.
“If hoodlums or touts decide to be lawless; carrying knives, carrying illegal firearms and shooting at my policemen, if they shoot at my policemen and they are a hundred or 200, my policemen will not be looking at them. They will reply back in self-defence.
“The number I kill is immaterial because a policeman is also a human being.”
When asked if his strategy of fire-for-fire is the best way to handle the situation, Mbu answered, “Which other way do you think you can handle it? You will shoot at the police. Is it not when the person is alive that he is coming to give evidence? How will somebody who is violently attacking others be stopped; how are you going to stop him? Are you going to use your hands? You must repel him using a stronger force.”
A Lagos-based lawyer, Tope Alabi, has urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to strip Joseph Mbu, the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, of his police rank and declare his office vacant.
Joseph Mbu
In a suit FHC/L/CS/149/15, Mr. Alabi is seeking a declaration that Mr. Mbu, the first defendant, has abused his office and is unfit to be a police officer.
“It is in the interest of justice to declare the first defendant unfit to be and to remain a police officer in Nigeria, considering his public conduct all the time and to declare his position and seat vacant and a replacement made without delay,” Mr. Alabi said in his court papers.
A date is yet to be fixed for hearing.
Mr. Mbu, the newly posted AIG in charge of Zone 2, rose to infamy for his unguarded utterances as well as his recent clashes with politicians, civil society activists, and journalists.
Last week, while addressing police officers of the Ogun State Command, Mr. Mbu instructed them to be battle-ready to return “fire for fire” against politicians during the elections.
“If one of my men is killed, I shall kill 20 of them but don’t shoot first. If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence,” Mr. Mbu said.
In 2014, the #BringBackOurGirls protesters in Abuja slammed a N200 million damage suit against the Nigeria Police after Mr. Mbu banned their daily sit-ins to demand the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.
The police hierarchy promptly reversed the ban and the suit was dropped.
Also, in 2014, Mr. Mbu detained and arraigned a journalist before a Magistrate for branding him ‘controversial’ during a TV programme.
The magistrate struck out the charges.
In 2013, while the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Mbu engaged in frequent verbal clashes with Rotimi Amaechi, the state governor, with the latter accusing him of an assassination plot.
Mr. Alabi said these acts by a serving police officer are enough to declare his office vacant and replaced “without further delay.”
Joined in the suit before the Lagos court are the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, the Police Service Commission and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, as the second to fourth defendants.
As a senior police officer, according to Mr. Alabi, Mr. Mbu swore to uphold to the rule of law and abide by the Constitution, but has allegedly been behaving as if he is above the law.
“A prayer urging the court to determine whether Mbu is fit and proper to remain in office considering his controversial utterances and ‘his public misconduct,’ and whether the lives of Nigerians are not in danger as long as Mbu remains in office,” Mr. Alabi stated in his court filings.
The lawyer also wants the court to hold that Mr. Mbu’s threat, last week, is beyond his powers and therefore in breach of Section 308 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.
Mr. Alabi also wants a declaration that his life and those of other Nigerians are in danger as long as Mr. Mbu remains in office, and that their rights cannot be guaranteed unless Mr. Mbu is removed.
Mr. Mbu had also told his men to arrest any erring governor before, during, or after the election.
The lawyer urged the court to stop Mr. Mbu from giving that order in line with Section 308 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.
He also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mr. Mbu from giving any orders during the March 28 and April 11 general elections.
Mr. Alabi said Mr. Mbu has no powers under the law to personally kill or direct officers under his control to kill innocent Nigerians in retaliation should any officer be attacked.
According to him, by Mr. Mbu’s utterance, he has chosen to flout the laws he swore to uphold as his statement is “capable of inciting mass killings, violence and anarchy”.
Mr. Alabi recalled that Mr. Mbu served in Rivers State and in the Federal Capital Territory where he continued to violate the Constitution by exhibiting “intolerant and unlawful” behaviour.
The lawyer also noted that the Inspector-General of Police’s distancing of himself from Mr. Mbu’s latest utterance by reiterating that the mandate of the police is to “save and protect lives and not to kill” is a testament of his over-reaching of his powers.
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has criticised the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Joseph Mbu, for urging the police to kill 20 civilians for a policeman that is killed before, during and after the general elections.
Watch And Pray, Watch And Prey By Wole Soyinka
Mbu, on Thursday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, had also ordered his men during his official visit to the Eleweran Command headquarters, to arrest even the governor of the state if they find him to be violating the law on election day.
“If one of my men is killed, I shall kill twenty of them but don’t shoot first. If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence. Our actions and activities will go a long way to decide this election, so, I have come to tell you that we must remain impartial in ensuring free, fair, peaceful and violent-free polls.
“As far as the law is concerned, we are not going to respect anybody and whoever is coming to the booth should vote and leave peacefully. Anyone who comes there to campaign, even if it is the chief executive of the state, a constable at that polling booth would stop him,” Mbu said.
In a letter made available to our correspondent on Saturday, Soyinka described Mbu as a “political jobber” ready to be used by the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government.
“Goliath Mbu is the latest kid in town, fresh from his triumph in ‘taming’ governors all over the nation, and reveling in his new elevation for jobs well done. A political jobber by instinct though a clamberer through the police profession, he has wasted no time instructing his men to return violence for violence, fire for fire.
“He has been displaying his new attire and pips all over the place, demanding to be noticed – as if his facial snarl is not already plastered over the pages of media annals of police infamy, reminiscent of the good old days of one Inspector-General (Sunday) Adewusi, who would appear on television dripping with gas-canisters and grenades, with a detachment of Kill-and-Go,” the Nobel laureate stated.
According to Soyinka, Mbu’s actions and words are similar to that of Adewusi.
He said, “Is history about to repeat itself in microcosm? Adewusi was sacked by the Buhari coup and vanished from the police political rostrum.”
Soyinka also expressed his regrets and anger over the failure of governments to punish persons like Adewusi for his impunity rather he said, those who have acted with impunity were usually accorded state recognition.
“This warped apportionment of deserving it must be that drives such officials to treasonable conduct under democracies. If the trend changes and even the police are made to account for abuses of office, abuses of the collective rights of citizens, then perhaps we might see the end of arrogant partisanship in the performance of police duties,” he added.
In a related development, the All Progressives Congress in a statement issued on Saturday, described Mbu as a “lawless and barbaric” policeman who should urgently be called to order by the police authorities.
“Since his posting to the Zone 2 Command, this contumacious policeman has exhibited an egregious act of lawlessness by barging through the Lekki Toll Plaza without paying toll and then ordering the arrest of policemen and workers at the Plaza. Is it not an irony that a man who is trained to enforce the law is the same who is breaking the law?” Said the APC publicity secretary, Mr. Lai Mohammed.
The All Progressives Congress has described the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Joseph Mbu, as a lawless and barbaric policeman, who should urgently be cautioned by his boss before he starts “another around of his trade-mark nihilism in his new posting.”
Joseph Mbu
In a statement in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Mbu’s actions since he was posted to Lagos had neither dignified the police as an institution nor portrayed him as a well-trained law enforcement agent.
It said the temperament, comportment, utterances and actions of Mbu, as a very senior police officer, were capable of inciting mass killings, violence and anarchy.
APC added, ”Since his posting to the Zone 2 Command, this contumacious policeman has exhibited an egregious act of lawlessness by barging through the Lekki Toll Plaza without paying toll and then ordering the arrest of policemen and workers at the Plaza. Is it not an irony that a man, who is trained to enforce the law, is the same, who is breaking the law?
”But that action, as bad as it was, pales into insignificance when compared to his most recent statement in which he was basically inciting the police against the citizenry and encouraging the killing of civilians. It is sheer irresponsibility for a senior policeman to say that for every policeman, who is killed during the election, he will kill 20 civilians.
”Lest we are misunderstood, our party will never condone the killing of police personnel or of any law enforcement agent for whatever reason, just as we will not condone the killing of any innocent Nigerian. If a senior police officer does not know how to convey to his officers and men that they should protect themselves while also avoiding extra-judicial killing of any citizen, then the funds spent in training him have been wasted.”
The party said such language as ‘fire-for-fire’ , ‘If one of my men is killed, I shall kill twenty of them’ or ‘you have the power to stop the Governor’ is inappropriate, inciting and barbaric, especially under a democratic dispensation, and most unbecoming of a senior law enforcement agent.
APC said Mbu should be held solely responsible for any violence or killing of innocent citizens before, during and after the elections in the area under his command.
The new Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Joseph Mbu, has warned that a constable in the zone will arrest any governor or politician, who conducts himself or herself in an unruly manner at the polling unit during the forthcoming elections.
Joseph Mbu
He said this on Thursday in Abeokuta during his official visit to the Ogun State Police Command headquarters, Eleweran, while he was addressing the policemen in the command.
Mbu told the men of the command, who would be on electoral duty to keep an eagle eye on everyone coming to the polling units to vote, stating that anyone caught with arms should be arrested instantly.
He added that he was in the Ogun police command to encourage and advise his men ahead of the polls.
He said, “I am here to encourage, support and advise you because we have a critical part to play in the forthcoming elections.
“Our actions and activities will go a long way to decide this election, so, I have come to tell you that we must remain impartial in ensuring free, fair, peaceful and violent-free polls.
“As far as the law is concerned, we are not going to respect anybody and whoever is coming to the booth should vote and leave peacefully.
“Anyone who comes there to campaign, even if it is the chief executive of the state, a constable at that polling booth would stop him.”
Mbu, who debunked the notion that he was sent to the zone to do a hatchet job in the forthcoming elections, said he had been a commissioner in Oyo, Ekiti, Rivers states and the Federal Capital Territory and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, said the current posting was not in anyway different.
But he vowed to do his job, warning that his men wouldn’t look the other way if any electoral offence was being committed.
He said, “I am here to make sure everywhere is calm; I am not here at Zone 2 only for elections. The Zone 2 must not just fail during the elections.
“I am here to make sure everything goes on peacefully, but the police will arrest anybody that commits any electoral offences.
Anybody found with arms will be arrested by the police; and anyone that cannot be arrested, we will recover the arms by force.”
Talking about his face-off with the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, Mbu said the media worked against him by giving prominence to the stories from the governor while they blanked him out.
He said, “I was not popular in Rivers State; you(media) made me unpopular in Rivers State. I was popular in Oyo State. I was popular in Abuja when I was CP of FCT and when I was AIG.
“In Rivers State, you people(media) were not hearing my side of the story; because the other party was richer, so you were not hearing my story.”
The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu II, has warned the recently deployed Assistant Inspector of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Lagos, Mr Joseph Mbu, to desist from any attempt to intimidate the people of Lagos as he earlier did in Rivers State, when he was police commissioner.
Joseph Mbu
Oba Akiolu gave the warning weekend while receiving the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari’s delegation in his palace.
The traditional ruler, who called on people of Lagos to cooperate with security agencies, sounded a note of warning to Mbu, saying: “Nobody can intimidate us. Let it be clear that Lagos is not Port Harcourt.
“Though police redeployment is normal during elections, but any policeman that comes here to cause trouble will fail. I and my people will give him a matching order”.
The traditional ruler advised police officers not to be partisan, adding that “police should do their constitutional role without bias.
“I want to sound a word of warning to security agencies. If anybody comes here to come and cause trouble he will fail. Others have tried and failed. Sometimes back, someone (a police officer) was posted here and he attacked me and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I told him (police officer) he will fail and he did fail”, the Oba added.
He, however, urged the people of Lagos to cooperate with the security agencies for the general well-being of the state.
“I urged my people to cooperate with the police and the army to do their job. I want all my people to be peaceful and law-abiding. All shall be well with us”, he said.
Oba Akiolu pointed out that Lagos State has suffered under the PDP-led Federal Government since the return of civil rule in 1999 and described Buhari as an upright, honest and dedicated gentleman, who meant well for the country.
“Lagos won’t ever lag behind again in the forthcoming dispensation. I know the ability of Buhari. He is very passionate about this country and he will deliver”, he added.
The recently reported arrest and detention of Mr. Amaechi Anakwue – a Journalist and senior reporter – working with African Independent Television in Abuja at the behest of Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of zone 7, Mr. Joseph Mbu, is not only deserving of all-round
Joseph Mbu
condemnation by all and sundry but also it remains one notorious development in recent time the media as a whole should not just gloss over it and move on as if to say “let us leave the matter there since it has come and gone”. As unfortunate as this unbridled pang of dictatorial tendencies of AIG Mbu has been rudely unleashed on Amaechi Anakwue and which is typically arising from the whimsical disorder inherent in the lives and mentality of some Nigerian Police and other security personnel, it will be naïve and, in fact, counter-productive for members of the public and the media in particular to think that paying little attention to this ugly incident or even leaving it entirely for both the management of AIT and the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) to sort out will be enough to tame Mbu or mark the end of his notorious culture of impunity. Surely this effort alone is not going to bring this malady to an end. At worst, the little attention this matter seems to be getting from media practitioners at the moment might later mark the beginning of the unleashing of more officially approved propensities on the citizenry by other potentially brutal personnel of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies. This in the main explains why Amaechi Anakwue’s travails should be viewed as an attempt by the Nigeria Police Force to test run the complexion of public opinion as well as the reaction of the Nigeria Press on what the future application of this same Mbu’s tyrannical proclivity would be like. Unfortunately, that only a few write-ups have so far emerged and dotted the landscape of both the print and online media in strong condemnation of Mbu’s cruel action against Amaechi Anakwue and the institution of the Press – beyond the initial news reports on the issue- and the fact that virtually all the national dailies are yet to send across their strong worded note of warning to Mbu and his ilk via their editorials, goes to underscore the degree of seeming lack of seriousness on the part of the entire household of the Nigeria media. However, an exception must be taken for the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the grounds of its proactive disposition so far on this matter.
But the question lingers: what offence in actual sense did Amaechi Anakwue commit to deserve the sort ill-treatment meted out to him by men of the Nigeria Police force at the instance of their boss AIG Mbu? Based on media reports, it can be fathomed that the only irrational rationale behind Mbu’s indecent descent to the unenviable status of a tyrant Police Chief wielding arbitrary power against the person of Mr. Amaechi Anakwue is not unconnected with the reference by the latter to the putatively public perception of the former as a controversial man – an orthodox perception arising basically from a series of manifold controversies which Mbu had been variously associated with. That being the case, it therefore baffles one what essentially is outrageous in addressing him as a controversial Police officer.
Meanwhile, for the purpose of clarity, it is instructive to look up for the meaning of the word “controversial”. Accordingly, the LONGMAN Dictionary of Contemporary English defines “controversial” as “causing a lot of disagreement, because many people have strong opinions about the subject being discussed”. Thus if Mr. Joseph Mbu in his capacity as the then FCT Commissioner of Police could, for instance, abruptly and impetuously impose a ban on the peaceful assembly of a group of Nigerians, otherwise called Bring Back Our Girls Group (#BBOG#), known popularly for their seemingly ceaseless street march and calls on the Federal Government to expedite actions towards ensuring safe rescue and return of reported abducted girls of Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok community of Borno state – a development that triggered off intense public argument, anger, agitation and even litigation – then wonders what else could disqualify Mr. Joseph Mbu within the context of the foregoing meaning of the word in issue from being aptly described as a controversial figure. Or, better still, if Mr. Mbu as an erstwhile FCT Commissioner of Police could reportedly order his men to resort to the use of tear gas in an attempt to intimidate and disperse the then striking polytechnics lecturers and their students who were peacefully protesting against the insensitivity of the Federal Government to their plight and/or demands at the time (an action which equally generated public debate and condemnation ), then one wonders once more what makes AIG Mbu think that his antecedents do not lend credence to the notion that he is indeed controversial.
Undoubtedly, AIG Mbu’s latest tyranny could not have been born out of nothing short of the truism that “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Much as it is clear that he has always wielded power as a senior Police officer, it is hard to downplay the argument of people who believe that Mr. Mbu now sees himself as a demigod possessing an unfettered right to exercise “absolute power” on account of what is perceived in some quarters as his undeserved elevation to the AIG rank. Though terrible as this line of thought may be, it is nevertheless unimaginable what the scenario would have been like if Mbu were President Goodluck Jonathan who has been variously insulted by Nigerians using different pejorative adjectival descriptions such as “clueless”, “kindergarten” (President), etc. And looking at the loose temperament often exhibited Mr. Mbu, one may be inclined to commend President Goodluck Jonathan for being extremely tolerant with power irrespective of all the seemingly provocative insults and bashing he keeps receiving from Nigerians – both from the small and the mighty ones alike. In fact, it transcends mere exaggeration to submit at this juncture that it would have been more sensible for the United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, to specifically tell Nigerians and the world at large that it is rather because of AIG Mbu’s kind of tyranny and tendencies that the government of his country is unwilling to sell arms to Nigeria government, instead of going all out of the way attributing such reluctance or outright refusal to the so-called gross human rights abuse allegedly being committed by Nigeria Military in the North-East geo-political zone. But while this thinking does not in any way translate to any form of slightest support for the American Ambassador’s hypocritical stand on his country’s objection to the sale of arms request made by the Federal Government of Nigeria, there is no gainsaying that AIG Joseph Mbu latest tyranny is a complete negation of the principles of rule of law and fundamental human rights which invariably constitutes a chink in our national armour in so far as our individual or group rebuttal of the grave accusations of human rights violation leveled against the Nigeria military by Ambassador Entwistle(over the ongoing operations in the North-East) is concerned.
By and large, given that AIG Joseph Mbu was once quoted by the media to have aptly described himself as a “lion”, the supposedly king of all animals, it has thus become imperative for the Federal Government to swiftly begin to monitor the seemingly marauding activities of this apparently monstrous specie of lion with a view to not only taming (domesticating) him but also ensuring that he does run amok or go all out of the way harming and/or devouring unsuspecting citizens doing their legitimate work within the ambit of the law. And this is neither a joke nor a laughing matter.
An Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Joseph Mbu, has described himself as a lion, who tamed the ‘leopard of Port Harcourt’.
Mbu, who was apparently referring to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of River State where he served as the Commissioner of Police before he was posted to Abuja stated that it was only a lion that could tame a leopard.
Joseph Mbu
Mbu, who was recently promoted AIG, said this while handing over to the new FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, on Monday in Abuja.
He advised his successor to be firm in his dealings with policemen in his command and avoid soiling himself.
“I advise you (CP) to carry the senior officers along in your administration. It is only a lion that can tame a leopard. I tamed the leopard in Port Harcourt; each time he remembers my face, he would remember how I tamed him,” Mbu said, drawing loud laughter from the audience.
He advised Inalegwu to discourage policemen from going for special duties, noting that the obligation of policemen was to the general public and not to provide protection for only the elite.
He also urged the new CP not to deal with his personnel with sentiments, stressing that he would fail if he gives unnecessary concessions to the officers and men working with him.
He stated that the Force needed strong leadership to achieve results, adding that he had put the command on a solid pedestal, noting that under him, the command procured 5,000 special raincoats with the assistance of the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed.
Mbu added that he was able to save N10m from the ‘FCT logistics’ and bought two buses to transport the rank and file to their duty posts.
Mbu, who is now in charge of Zone 7, Abuja, explained that there was no petition against him throughout his tenure as the CP in charge of FCT, because he dealt with the people fairly.
Inalegwu in his response, promised to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor and challenged the officers to relate more with the community.
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command has arrested a suspect, Amos Yaro, who specialised in using master key to steal cars.
He was caught with 14 cars and paraded along with six others, including a panel beater who helped him to change the colour of the cars, and three car dealers who bought the stolen vehicles from him.
The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has described Gov Amaechi’s statement while welcoming the new Police Commissioner to the State, Dan Bature as outright and unnecessary intimidation by threatening to stop assisting the State Police Command should the new Police Commissioner take after a former Police Commissioner in the State, Mbu Joseph Mbu.
Rotimi Amaechi
Dismissing Amaechi’s remarks about Mr Mbu who is now an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) as childish, the PDP State Chairman, Prince Felix Obuah said the only crime AIG Joseph Mbu committed was his refusal to do his bidding as a result of which he (Amaechi) has accepted to have stopped funding the Police.
All this, Prince Obuah said is aimed by Amaechi to intimidate the new Police Commissioner but has unfortunately hit the air because no serious senior Police Officer like Mr. Dan Bature could cheaply succumb to Amaechi’s Greek gift of receiving his funding at the expense of his professional duties of protection of lives and property which Joseph Mbu insisted on, to provoke all the insults, aspersions and false allegations from Amaechi.
The State PDP boss also recalled Amaechi’s displeasure against the immediate past Police Commissioner in the State, Tunde Ogunsakin, labeling him a politician for not rising against the Omoku youths when they blocked the Local Government Council Secretariat, and in another instance, for refusing to lift the ban on political rallies in the State and also for advising him against the use of his Town Hall meetings and, or Meet The People Tour as campaign rallies.
For eulogizing the outgoing Police Commissioner, Mr Ogunsakin when his activities benefitted him and giving him names when his professional activities didn’t seem to guarantee his viciousness, portrays Amaechi as one who speaks from both sides of his mouth, Prince Obuah remarked.
While joining all other well meaning Rivers people to welcome the new Police Commissioner to the State, the PDP boss makes no doubt that Mr Dan Bature as a fine and tested professional Police Officer cannot be swayed by any act of intimidation from Amaechi or any other person but should also be ready to receive Amaechi’s bashing and name calling for discharging his professional duties as expected and not doing his bidding.
“One good thing however is that the Police Service Commission has laid down standards to assess high flying and performing officers and will appreciate and recognize merit accordingly, just as AIG Joseph Mbu who Amaechi criticized was redeployed to the Force Headquarters with a promotion and is now an AIG which means that Amaechi’s remarks are not reckoned”, the PDP State Chairman noted.
He therefore urged the new CP, Dan Bature to do his job to the best of his ability while assuring him of the people’s goodwill at all times.
PDP dismissed as a vicious lie Gov Amaechi’s allegation that AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu is a card carrying member of the Party and that he was working for the PDP.
