Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM) — a civil society organisation with primary focus on entrenching democratic values and constitutionalism into the body polity of the Nigerian state through legitimate and lawful means — has called for the immediate dismissal of Joseph Mbu, the new AIG of zone 2 comprising Lagos and Ogun States police command.
In the petition addressed to The Chairman, Police Service Commission, Federal Secretariat, Abuja, CPPM held that Mbu should be dismissed because of his utterances which are tantamount to threats and assaults to lives of the people in his new zone.
“Our attention has been drawn to a reckless, irresponsible, crude, barbaric, unconstitutional, provocative, illegal, undemocratic, uncivilized and murderous threat in the media, credited to controversial Mr. Joseph Mbu, AIG zone 2 comprising Lagos and Ogun States police command, who was reported to have made a declaration at a meeting with police officers of the Ogun State Command at its Eleweran Headquarters, Abeokuta on Thursday 12th February, 2015,” the group said in the petition signed by its chairman, Nelson Ekujumi.
In the petition CPPM quoted Mbu as saying that: “If one of my men is killed, I shall kill twenty of them but don’t shoot first. “If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence.”
The group expressed shock and condemn the AIG’s utterances describing them as offensive, barbaric, irresponsible, lawless and an inciting invitation to anarchy.
“Mr. Mbu, once again has shown that he is a lawless officer who has no respect for the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and will continue to bring public opprobrium to the image and integrity of the Nigeria police force as long as he remains in service,” CPPM said.
“The Nigeria police by the constitution establishing it is charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order through enforcement of the law. The right to terminate the life of any citizen is constitutionally entrusted in the courts through interpreting the constitution and meting out punishment to violators of the law. It is unconstitutional and criminal of the police or any person or organisation to kill a human being without the authorisation of the courts after a judicial trial.”
The group called for the immediate dismissal of Mbu from the Nigeria Police for misconduct.
It also called for his immediate arrest and trial for violating the constitution through threats of attempted murder against Nigerians.
The group urged the Police to immediately reorientate its men and officers in line with global best practices of policing, saying they might have been contaminated by Mbu order to kill Nigerians.
The group also demanded unreserved apology to Nigerians for this threat to life and assault on their sensibilities by the Nigeria Police Force And the immediate withdrawal of the unconstitutional and illegal orders to kill Nigerians.
“Failure of the Police Service Commission to comply with the above demands, will imply that the police authorities should be held responsible for any murder(s) committed by AIG Mbu and men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force before, during and after the 2015 general elections,” Ekujumi said.
