Senate President Bukola Saraki has called out the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris as the most partisan police chief in the country’s history.
Mr Saraki, in a statement by his spokesperson Yusuph Olaniyonu, on Saturday described the invasion of the Abuja home of Dino Melaye as another instance of police being used to suppress the rights of the citizenry and silencing people with opposing views to the current administration.
“This method of digging out some old charges and allegations to arrest and incarcerate political opponents has presented this current Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, as the most partisan head of the Nigerian Police ever in the history of this country.
“We have continued to call on the security agencies to steer clear of partisanship and be professional in their activities,” the statement read.
The police on Friday laid siege to the house of Mr Melaye in a bid to arrest him with claims that the senator was wanted for alleged involvement in an attack on a police officer in June.
While the siege was on, Melaye told reporters he was out of the city but was monitoring the situation.
The police however believed that he was hiding somewhere in the building.
Saraki in the statement said the timing of the invasion and the desperate attempt to arrest the senator was suspicious as the lawmaker had raised an alarm a few days earlier that there was a plan by the police to get hold of him and harm him, an allegation that was denied by the police.
He added that there was no formal request to the National Assembly Clerk for Melaye’s arrest as claimed by the police.
