President of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki has raised alarm that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris is endangering his life.
Saraki at a press conference in Abuja he said the police were unleashing violence on his supporters in his home state, Kwara, adding that the police were surprised that the people continued to give massive and overwhelming support to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the state
“The police have continued to show undisguised hostility to me and my supporters in Kwara State and this latest round of violence is part of efforts to jeopardise and undermine my personal security and that of my immediate and larger family,” the Senate President said.
According to him, on Thursday, some APC supporters, after the conclusion of their campaigns in Ilorin, moved around town, attacked and disrupted PDP weekly ward meeetings, in areas like Adewole/Adeta, Ile Otan and Ubandawaki/Pakata.
“They also inflicted matchete cuts on some of them. As a result of this attack, two people suffered bullet wounds,” Saraki stated.
He also alleged that the “same APC thugs shielded by policemen went to my family quarters in Agbaji in Ilorin, and vandalized houses, shops and inflicted wounds with matchete on three people.
“All these destructions took place in the presence of policemen who came with them but watched without any care, as the APC thugs and supporters unleashed violence on our people.
“For me, personally, I believe the decision to attack people and properties in my family ancestral compound is a direct affront and attack on my person.
“And whatever signal these APC elements with support from the police believe they are sending is definitely sinister, uncivilized and unfortunate.”
The Senate president further disclosed that the police under the directive of Inspector General of Police, Idris, on Thursday transfered the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) out of Kwara State.
While he accepted that the police are free to take decisions on the deployment of their personnel, he described the postings in Kwara State strange and more than a mere coincidence.
“IGP has posted three different Commissioners of Police to Kwara State in the last six months.
“In fact, the previous and current Commissioner of Police in the State got strict instructions from the IGP not to relate or engage with the Senate President.
“The usual practice has been that the Commissioner of Police personally ensures the security of the Senate President whenever he visits his home state. That was the practice during the period of my predecessor and in my first year in office.
“We need to make it clear to the entire world that now that ward to ward campaigns is about to begin in the state and I am set to participate in that grassroots campaign as I have always done, nobody is sure what instructions Mr. Idris has given to the police command in the state. Thus, the entire world should hold the IGP responsible if anything untoward happens to members of my family and myself,” he added.
He recalled that the IGP had tried severally to implicate him in some criminal charges, noting the arrest of some cultists and was about to compel them to claim they worked for him.
“We exposed the trick early enough and the media also pointed out holes in his story. He quickly withdrew that.
“Later, he went on to the Offa robbery case and politicized the investigation in order to rope me. In the process of forcing suspects to implicate me, the principal suspect died in their custody.
“He has also not succeeded with that plot. Who knows what else he may have planned?Now, that full campaign is on, which requires my going round, I want the world to hold him personally responsible if anything happens to me,” Saraki said.
