(SR) The Inspector general of police, Sulaiman Abba, appeared before the House of Representatives Police Committee today after several days of ignoring their invitation. The meeting chaired by Usman Bello Kumo, quickly denigrated into bad blood between committee members and the IGP.
The IG had opened his statement explaining why the police invaded the house last week by rehashing the initial police statement that they had credible intelligence that some thugs had planned on causing mayhem at the resumed sitting of the house.
He said this intelligence led them to send policemen to the house to confront the thugs.
He proceeded to say that one Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, led a group of thugs to overpower the security at the first gate. A move he claimed led the police to lock down the second gate and fire a canister of teargas.
However, his reference to the “Speaker of the House as “one Alhaji Tambuwal” drew the ire of committee members who asked the IGP to properly address the speaker of the house according to protocol.
The house committee members asked the IGP to revisit the way he addressed the speaker, the IG then said the case of the speaker was in court and as such he wouldn’t like to comment further on it.
The committee members refused to proceed with the hearing until the IGP properly addresses the speaker. They said, ‘as long as he refuses to do so, they too would no longer recognize him as IG.’
The prolonged argument brought the meeting to a standstill and eventually a rancorous end as members walked out on the IGP.