IGP says Wike’s allegations against SARS are ‘nonsense

Ibrahim Idris, Inspector-General of Police, has described as “nonsense” the allegations by Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, that the police are behind incidents of armed robbery and kidnapping in the state.

After a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House on Thursday, Idris told newsmen that the allegations were baseless but that Wike has a right to express himself.

“He (Wike) has the right to express himself,” Idris said. “You know he is a governor… of course I have to deny that; it is nonsense. I have to deny that.

“If a policeman was killed, will you say he was involved in crime? I think you are mixing two different issues.

“A policeman was killed in Rivers in connection with this IPOB issue… it’s different from saying policemen are involved in crime. You cannot say someone that was attacked and killed is the one involved in crime.

“I just want you to read between the lines. If you have leaders making sweeping allegations obviously it does not make sense.”

The meeting between Osinbajo and Idris was to discuss the security situation in the south-east, which has resulted to the deployment of soldiers to curtail the activities of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Idris said critical stakeholders, including governors of states in the south-east, are currently being engaged, even though more policemen would be deployed to the region to contain the situation.

“Obviously, one, is to deploy policemen across the country,” he said. “Two, we are in touch with the state governments, trying to mobilize the political leadership to be able to intervene where necessary on how to lessen the tension in the South-East.”

A three-day dusk-to-dawn curfew was declared in Abia State on Tuesday by Okezie Ikpeazu, the State Governor. The curfew, which was expected to end on Thursday, has been extended to Friday.

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