The
attention of the Police Service Commission has been drawn to the above
captioned story by Sahara Reporters, an online publication of February 5th,
2016.
The story, characteristic of the publication, did not disappoint in its
rehash of worn out allegations that had been severally found to be baseless and
childish.
The
Commission is aware of Sahara Reporters penchant for falsehood and liking for
‘gorilla journalism’ and would not have bothered itself with this statement but
for the serial distortion of facts.
The
Commission wishes to state that it’s Hon. Chairman, Sir (Dr) Mike Mbama Okiro,
a retired Inspector General of Police did not at any time appoint anybody
Secretary to the Commission. The Commission at its 14th Plenary
Meeting held on the 16th of December, 2015 appointed, Mr. Emmanuel
Ibe, a seasoned administrator and Director, Administration and Finance of the
Commission, as its Acting Secretary. The appointment was sequel to the vacuum
created by the deployment of the Commission’s former Secretary, Mallam Aliyu
Bisala to the Ministry of Trade and Investment.
It is
instructive to note that Mr. Ibe was appointed on acting capacity pending
whenever Mr. President appoints a substantive Secretary or confirms his
appointment. The appointment was also done so that the activities/programmes of
the Commission would not unnecessarily be hampered by the vacuum.
The appointment
of Mr. Ibe has not violated the Constitution of Nigeria as the Commission in
Plenary has the powers to appoint an Acting Secretary which does not in any way
infringe on the powers of Mr. President to appoint a substantive Secretary for the
Commission at any time.
Sahara
Reporters stories on the Acting Secretary being a target of a petition to EFCC
on selling of Police appointments for cash and masterminding a phony land deal
are mere recycled tissues of lies. The petition to EFCC quoted by the
publication and dated January 25, 2016 contains basically the same allegations
bandied since 2012 and which had been handled by a competent court of justice that
dutifully acquitted and discharged Mr. Ibe, the acting Secretary.
The Management
of the Commission has taken all the required steps not only in the appointment
of Mr. Ibe as Acting Secretary but in the running of the affairs of the
Commission. It wrote to the Government on the shortfall in the number of its
Members after the Senate refused to approve the appointment of one Member and
the vacuum in the office of the Secretary as a result of the last redeployments
of Permanent Secretaries.
It is
obvious that Sahara Reporters will never see anything good in the Commission
and in Its Hon. Chairman. It’s weird resort to blackmail; subterfuge and
character assassination has remained an affront on the practice of journalism
in Nigeria.
The
Commission is tempted to believe that the owner of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele
Sowore who has not had a particularly decent past may be on a revenge mission
against Sir Okiro. It is known to the Commission that as a student of the
University of Lagos he was arrested, detained and charged to court for rape of
a female student when Sir Okiro, the Hon. Chairman of the Commission, was an
Area Commander covering the University. It is also known to the Commission that
Mr. Sowore jumped bail and escaped abroad and since then has never seen
anything good in Sir Okiro, the Chairman of the Commission.
The
Commission wishes to state that it will no longer tolerate Sahara Reporters
ambush journalism and will henceforth use all legal means to protect itself. It
calls on the public to discountenance this satanic publication which does no
good to our growing democracy.
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