IGP Shuns Senate Invitation, Joins Buhari In Bauchi

Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector General of Police, on Thursday, refused to honour the invitation by the Nigerian Senate.

The upper legislative chamber on Wednesday, ordered the police chief to appear before it unfailingly by 11am on Thursday to give tangible accounts on the humiliating arrest of Senator Dino Melaye by his men in Abuja.

IGP Idris’ summon followed a motion moved by Sen. Sam Anyanwu seeking explanations into what the lawmakers now deem a life-threatening situation which their colleague has been subjected to.

Senator Melaye was arrested and re-arrested on Wednesday after he reportedly escaped police custody.

The federal lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District had sustained various degrees of injury after escaping police grip through the window of a moving vehicle, according to the police.

But as at 1:43 pm on Thursday, the IGP did not show up for the meeting, and was reported to have sent an Assistant Inspector General of Police to represent him.

Meanwhile, Idris is reportedly in Bauchi state with President Muhammadu Buhari who is on a two-day working visit.

Reacting to the development, Senate President Bukola Saraki, who was physically upset, said the IGP would have called him in person to inform him of his absence.

He said the decision of the Police Chief to send an AIG to represent him is insulting to the Red Chamber.

The lawmakers asked the IGP to appear before it on Wednesday to brief a joint session of the National Assembly on security challenges facing the country.

The senate debated killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen across the country.

Suspected herdsmen had in the last three days killed scores in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, including two Catholic priests.

Speaking on the killings, Saraki said: “Distinguished Colleagues, we have heard a lot of the contributions. Sen. Gemade came up sometime ago and now Sen. Akume, and as you have all rightly observed, then we were talking about herdsmen and farmers. Now we are talking about herdsmen and religious leaders.

“We all know that the dimension it is taking can lead to a serious crisis in this country. It means that we need drastic action. We must say No. These daily killings, have to stop.

“We must say what needs to be done. We have made ourselves available, we have done a summit, so now what do we do differently? We tell NEMA and we hear that they are under investigation over misappropriation — that cannot be the solution.”