The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a leading pro-democracy advocacy organisation, has lampooned the Nigeria Police Force for allegedly turning itself into an ‘official lapdog’ and “attack dog” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
HURIWA also accused the police and the Kogi State Government of reckless abuse of power aimed at frustrating Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a statement on Tuesday, HURIWA criticised the alleged conspiracy between the Kogi State Police Command and the state government under Governor Usman Ododo to prevent the Kogi Central senator from visiting her hometown and engaging with her constituents.
Governor Ododo is the first cousin to the immediate past governor of the state, Yahaya Bello who was a fierce political rival of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In its statement, HURIWA said it was “appalled that the Nigeria Police Force, a constitutional institution meant to serve the common good, has instead become an ‘attack dog’ and further deteriorated into the ‘lapdog’ of the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
It admonished the police hierarchy to detach itself from partisan politics and uphold its constitutional duty as an independent and professional institution as mandated by the Police Act of 2020.
HURIWA queried: “Why should the Kogi State Police Command blindly follow the political directives of the APC governor, abusing the Police Act and using politically motivated tactics to stop Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from exercising her fundamental rights—freedom of movement, peaceful assembly, and expression”.
While demanding an investigation into the action of the Commissioner of Police, the organisation insisted that he must provide evidence of security threats cited to justify what they termed a politically motivated crackdown.
HURIWA was miffed that just 48 hours before Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s scheduled homecoming event, the Kogi State Government suddenly announced a ban on rallies and public gatherings over alleged security concerns.
The government had also extended the ban to activities such as fishing, citing incidents that reportedly led to the loss of two lives in Kasemiya, Katubo, and Umozu Ette, all in Kogi ocal government area.
In a statement on Monday, the state’s Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo, justified the decision as a measure to prevent potential security threats.
Similarly, on Tuesday, the Kogi State Police Command ordered the cancellation of the rally, citing an “intelligence report” that warned of possible hijacking by hoodlums.
Spokesman of the police William Aya said, “Intelligence reveals that some hoodlums plan to hijack the process and cause a disturbance of peace in the state. The command cannot afford to jeopardize the existing peace currently being enjoyed”.
HURIWA, however, dismissed these claims as a “primitive and unconstitutional misuse of police powers”, asserting that the police in Kogi State had been reduced to mere enforcers of APC political interests.
The group said, “The Kogi State Police Command has transformed into the ‘official lapdog’ and ‘attack dog’ of the APC. This is absolutely despicable and condemnable”.