The House of Representatives on Wednesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to replace the nation’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris over what they described as unprofessional conduct.
Two motions of urgent national importance presented by two members of the House, Honourables Mark Gbillah and Abubakar Danburam alleged that the IGP, due to his utterances, actions and inactions could no longer be trusted to conduct his job in a professional manner.
Hon. Gbillah’s motion was titled ‘Motion on the derogatory statement by the Police PRO against an Executive Governor of a state and the seeming unwillingness of the Inspector General of Police to recognize and enforce a constitutionally enacted law by an executive arm of government.’
The second motion by Hon. Danburam which was titled ‘Motion on need to curb thuggery development in political activities in Kano and Nigeria in general’ alleged that the police and other security agencies in the country have turned a blind eye to the illegal acts of terror being perpetrated in Kano and other parts of the country.
While Gbillah’s motion chronicled the inaction of the Police boss in the wake of the killing of 73 Benue State indigenes and his utterances before a Senate committee that the Open Grazing Prohibition Law by the Benue State House of Assembly was responsible for the killings, Danburam prayed the House to invite the IGP and the Kano State Commissioner of Police to give detailed accounts of the clashes in Kano.
The arguments however reached a crescendo when Hon. John Dyegh (APC, Benue) moved for an amendment that it was evident from the tone of the arguments, discussions and presentations on the floor of the House that the members had lost confidence in the professional abilities of the IGP. This, he added, should be one of the prayers of Danburam’s motion.
The Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara thereafter asked the members of the House if that was what they wanted and all the members responded in the affirmative.
He subsequently put the issue to a vote and the House overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in the Inspector-General with the exception of six members.
The six members, Johnson Agbonayinma (APC, Edo) Abdullahi Mahmud (APC, Kano), Muhammad Sani Abdul (APC, Bauchi), Ayuba Bello (APC, Borno), Abubakar Chika Adamu (APC, Niger) and Basir Babale (APC, Kano) argued that the decision of the House did not follow due process as the IGP was not given a fair hearing.
Addressing newsmen after the recession, Hon. Agbonayinma who spoke on behalf of the others said some members played to the gallery as they were too much in a rush instead of referring the matter to a committee.
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