The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris’ refusal to appear before the Senate for a second time has drawn the ire of the Nigerian Senators.
Idris who was supposed to appear a week ago to answer questions on the arrest and detention of Senator Dino Melaye as well as the rampant killings of people in the country rather accompanied President Muhammadu Buhari to Bauchi State on a state visit. Instead, he sent a deputy Inspector-General of Police, Joshak Habila.
The senate had rejected the representation of Habila, insisting that the IGP must appear before it in person.
He, however, failed to appear again on Wednesday, May 2, prompting condemnation from the lawmakers.
Bukola Saraki, the Senate president has expressed displeasure over the non-appearance of Ibrahim Idris before the Senate.
Saraki via his official Twitter page condemned Idris’ refusal to appear before the upper chamber, describing it as a threat to democracy.
The Senate president said the police chief disobeyed them the same way he disobeyed President Muhammadu Buhari when he asked him to go and stay in Benue but he refused.
He said: “I don’t want us to labour too much. At the upper chamber, we must show maturity and statesmanship. I don’t think anybody who has been around enough to observe the practice of our democracy knows that this action cannot be right.
“Under constitutional powers, it requires the IG to come and give a report on the incident involving a colleague and the incessant killings happening in the country. He has felt that he cannot come and wants to delegate it to a junior to come.”
According to him, “No IG has ever refused to appear before the Senate since we started practising democracy. I don’t think that has happened before. But we must know these actions are danger to our democracy.
“Again, we cannot say it is just to us because the President told us that he told him to go to Benue and the man refused to go to Benue and he is sitting there and he is doing this. I want to appeal to our colleagues, let us approach this in two ways.
“One way, we give him another period for him to reflect the enormity of his action because whatever happens today sets a precedent for future and as such it is important that we do not allow issues like this.
“The leader of the Senate and the Chairman on Police should engage with the executive and send our position. There are powers we can exercise which are not in the interest of us making progress in this country.
“Since the beginning of the year, over 500 or 600 have been killed and we believe that the man in charge of enforcing this does not think he needs to sit down with Senate to engage with us when there is something wrong somewhere.
“So let us hold and give them time within a week and come back to us and I am sure that wisdom would prevail.”
Meanwhile, some masked security men, bearing guns have been reportedly deployed to the National Assembly.
