…after the Adamawa State election debacle
Juliana Francis
A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has written an open letter to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, demanding to know why the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Muhammed Ahmed Barde continues as CP in the state, despite being redeployed by the Police Service Commission.
The 24 undersigned concerned organisations, said that the clarification was vital because of residents of the state.
The coalition stated that it had to take drastic steps by penning an open letter because the subject matter in question was important, especially with citizens and rights groups expressing similar concerns and asking questions, without any answers yet.
The group stated: “Not long ago, a coalition of civil society organisations in Nigeria jointly wrote on the same issue, and it was widely published in print media between July 17 and 18, 2023, but there was no response from the Nigeria Police.
“In a joint statement, a coalition of 19 CSOs had asked why Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Barde has continued to sit tight as the Commissioner of Police, Imo State, despite directives contained in a directive by the PSC, based on the advice of the Acting IGP, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun in June, deploying a new CP to the state, among eight others.
“The CSOs demanded that CP Barde should as a matter of urgency vacate the seat and hand over to the substantive new CP, Mr. Stephen Olarewaju in compliance with the June 30th redeployment directive by the PSC.
“We are aware that the Police Service Commission (PSC) vide a circular, approved the appointment and deployment of eight Commissioners of Police to various state police commands in the country including Imo. Mr. Stephen Olarewaju CP was deployed to Imo to take over from Barde. We understand that all other CPs affected by the redeployment have since resumed duty at their new postings, except Mr. Barde who has defiantly ignored the directive of the PSC.”
The group argued that Barde was supposed to be facing disciplinary action following his alleged ‘intentional and disgraceful acts’ as the CP deployed to Adamawa to be in charge of election security during the 18 March Adamawa State governorship election.
The noted: “Horrified by Mr. Barde’s involvement in providing security cover for the illegal declaration of false election result while collation was yet to be concluded, in reckless violation of the Electoral Act, the IGP ordered him to ‘pull out’ from the state and, in his stead, dispatched the CP of Gombe state, CP Etim Equa, to Adamawa to restore order and ensure the peaceful conclusion of the disrupted election.
“Later, in a query to Barde dated June 1, 2023, the IGP said his actions culminated in a compromise of the security situation in the state indicting him for divided loyalty, sabotage, and acts unbecoming of a public officer. The IGP, in the query, said Barde’s actions ‘undoubtedly debased the exalted rank of Commissioner of Police and brought the image of the Force to an all-time low.”
Barde was therefore required “to explain within 48 hours of receipt of this query why disciplinary action should not be taken against you.”
The group said that Barde’s action in disregarding the directives of the PSC deploying a new CP to take over from him in Imo and staying put in office illegally and against service discipline is not only contemptuous but is also a rather worrisome precedent in the police force.
“It is unclear why Mr Barde still remains in Imo despite his replacement as he faces investigation for gross discreditable conduct. There are, however, speculations that the governor of Imo State, Mr. Hope Uzodinma wants to retain him in Imo to have him ‘supervise’ the forthcoming. November 2023 gubernatorial election in Imo in his favour. This was also stated by the CSOs coalition in their joint statement in July,” said the coalition
Aside from Mr Barde’s disgraceful conduct in Adamawa, said the group, his tenure as CP Imo State has been characterised by incompetence, partisanship, unabated insecurity, and egregious human rights violations. Police harassment and intimidation of members of political opposition, and predatory attacks and violence on citizens’ human rights have been rife in Imo State under CP Barde.
The group further added: “We are aware of interventions by some human rights organizations including those that have brought some specific cases of gross human rights violation and corrupt conduct by police officers in the State to the attention of CP Barde. Their expectations that he would take prompt and decisive action to bring the perpetrators to account have always been dashed as he always ignored the reports while violations continued unabated.
“In a particular case, an organization had reached out to the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit at Tiger Base, Owerri Imo State whose operatives arrested two young men who went to withdraw cash from a bank ATM in Owerri. The operatives took the young men to their base and detained them without informing them of their offense and without obtaining a statement from them. They tortured them during interrogation the next day to admit to a crime they never committed. When the Commander was contacted, he inquired from his men and found out that the young men were arrested in error, and then promised to release them. But rather than release them with an apology for wrongful arrest, detention and torture, the operatives still obtained bribe from the innocent young men’s relatives before releasing them.
“This was brought to the attention of the CP via text messages after he did not take phone calls. He never responded. The above is just illustrative of several similar mindboggling cases that were brought to the attention of the CP and he acquiesced to the abuses and corrupt conduct by inaction.
“We are also aware of a case about which a staff of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reached out to the CP. The NHRC official expressed frustration at the CP’s disposition which gives a boost to unprofessional conduct and impunity for police abuse and corruption. Many incidents have also been documented of harassment of opposition politicians and terror attacks on homes of some political opponents of the governor in which some police officers, acting jointly with the notorious Ebubeagu (a security network set up and controlled by the Governor), were identified to be involved. But Barde did not ensure an investigation to bring such mercenary police officers to account.
“Prior to Adamawa, the federal and state assembly elections in Imo were also marred by manipulations and electoral banditry allegedly supervised by police officers under certain police units in the state command who take directives from the state house.
“It is not in doubt that Barde is a well-known puppet to Governor Hope Uzodinma and if the forthcoming November 2023 gubernatorial election in Imo State is conducted with him on the saddle as Commissioner of Police, there is a certainty that the election will be conducted like a warfare – a zero-sum game – like the Federal and State Assembly elections, and it will not be anything close to peaceful, free and fair.
“Below are excerpts from the IGP’s query to Barde dated June 1, 2023: “These intentional and disgraceful acts of yours were despite prior notifications and warnings by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations who called you via GSM on the 15th of April 2023 intimating you of intelligence regarding the plans by the REC to illegally announce results, which he eventually did with your due presence.
“The totality of your actions which were captured in viral videos generated public outcry and condemnation portrayed the Force in an extremely negative light and would have occasioned an enormous crisis in the State if not for the prompt deployment of reinforcements.
“You have therefore undoubtedly debased the exalted rank of Commissioner of Police and brought the image of the Force to an all-time low.”
“If after this indictment of Mr. Barde by the police high command, for his disgraceful acts in Adamawa; If, knowing that Barde is a partisan political hatchet man, as has been demonstrated by his roles during the Presidential and State Assembly elections in Imo and later, during the governorship election in Adamawa; if after the PSC has deployed a new CP to Imo State Police Command, Barde is allowed to continue to sit tight as Commissioner of Police in Imo, then the discipline has completely broken down in the Nigeria Police and the dire consequences on the entire NPF apparatus is unfathomable.
“If Barde is not compelled to leave Imo and made to face disciplinary actions for the grave numerous allegations of discreditable conduct unbecoming of a public officer hanging on him; If he is allowed to supervise the November 2023 governorship election in Imo State, then it will be safe and logical to conclude that there is an official conspiracy to rig the Imo State gubernatorial election with the police and other security outfits under the control of the governor (a candidate in the election)- being the main tools to achieve a coup against democracy and against the people of Imo State.”
