The Senate has said that the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, may not have been properly briefed on existing anti-terrorism law in the country.
The IGP had, during a meeting with top police officers on Tuesday, claimed that the police could not prosecute the arrested suspected members of the Boko Haram sect until the anti-terrorism bill was passed into law.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, faulted the IGP, saying there was an existing anti-terrorism law.
“The Senate,” he said, “was surprised and flabbergasted” by the claim that there was no law to prosecute arrested suspected terrorists.
According to Abaribe, the Anti-Terrorism Prevention Bill was passed into law in 2011 and President Goodluck Jonathan did not delay in appending his signature, in view of the importance of the law.
“The claim was surprising. Probably the IGP was not properly briefed on a bill on anti-terrorism that was passed more than one year ago.
“Beside the existing law, an amendment is being sought to expand the scope of the Act.
“It is difficult to believe that an arm of government could claim not to be aware of a law that was passed and signed by the president in June 2011.
“There is an existing law, beside the amendment being sought, and nobody can lay claim to the contrary. There is enough provision in our law to prosecute whosoever commits acts of terrorism,” he said.
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