IG inaugurates 15-man panel on Rivers rerun
(Nigeria) The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, on Thursday in Abuja inaugurated the recently constituted joint investigative panel on the December 10 legislative re-run elections in Rivers State.
The 15-man panel, headed by DCP Damien Okoro, consists of
officers of the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, with
investigative, forensic and technical expertise.
“The panel which is to conduct its investigation in
conjunction with a team from the DSS, has the following terms of reference: “One,
Conduct a thorough investigation into the role of security agents before,
during and after the election; “Two, examine the role of any police officer or
security agent whose actions or activities individually or collectively was
detrimental to the good conduct of the elections;
“Three, conduct a forensic analysis on the audio report
released by an online medium as it concerns the election.
“Four, examine any other matter that is relevant to the
conduct of the elections, and make recommendations and implementation
strategies to guide future elections.’’
He also charged the panel to probe the violence that marred
the exercise in which two police officers were gruesomely murdered.
He noted that the 1999 Constitution and other relevant laws
empowered the police to conduct investigations into criminal matters across the
entire country.
The IG gave the committee 30 days with effect from December
17 to submit its findings.
Idris said that four suspects had so far been arrested in
connection with the murder of two officers, while two rifles had been
recovered.
The IG said that the police was an apolitical organisation
that must not get involved in politics, adding that its interest was to ensure
hitch-free elections.
He solicited the support and cooperation of all well-meaning
Nigerians, especially INEC and the Rivers State Government, to enable the panel
succeed in its assignment.
Responding, Okoro, thanked the IG for the confidence reposed
in the committee, adding that they will be guided by relevant extant laws in
the discharge of the assignment.
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