Oshiomhole’s allegations on Oyerinde unfounded –IG

Muhammed Abubakar

Inspector- General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has dismissed as unfounded the allegation by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State that the police was shielding the killers of his private secretary, Olaitan Oyerinde.

The IG said on Friday that he would respond to the governor’s allegation at the appropriate time and in “due course.”

During the launching of a new code of conduct for the Nigeria Police on Thursday, Oshiomhole had accused the Deputy Inspector-General, Force CID, Peter Gana and other investigating officers of bungling the investigation into Oyerinde’s murder, adding that the police had a hand in the gruesome murder of his former principal secretary.

Although Oshiomhole said he was aggrieved over the shoddy handling of the case by the police, he praised the State Security Service for arresting the actual suspects that had committed the crime.

“IG, you know that I am aggrieved; I am aggrieved over the murder of my Private Secretary and the way in which it was trivialised. The DIG Force CID has a case to answer. It is either he is guilty of conspiracy to murder or is guilty of conspiracy to shield murderers or both. Whatever be the case, he cannot continue to wear his police uniform. He must be dismissed,” the governor had said.

But, when asked to respond to Oshiomhole’s allegation and demand on Friday, Abubakar dismissed the accusations as baseless and unfounded, adding that the police would respond to the issues at the appropriate time.

“In the first place, this case is in court and it may be subjudice if I comment on it. But we are going to respond to that comment at the appropriate time because he (Oshiomhole) made allegations that are unfounded,” the IG said.

After a meeting with senior police officers on the new Police Code of Conduct, the IG said the meeting was called to have a detailed assessment of the code, which he said would form the basis of police operations and conduct while on duty.

He directed the senior officers to organise seminars for their subordinates from the divisional level to the zonal level on the code, stressing that every officer must abide by the code.

PUNCH