Clark kicks against dismissal of policemen who invaded his residence, says they shouldn't be made scapegoats

- Chief Edwin Clark has condemned the dismissal of police officers who searched his residence

- The officers were dismissed from the Force after searching the Abuja residence of the elder statesmen on Tuesday, September 4

- Clark says the officers should not be made scapegoat, saying they couldn't have acted on their own

Elder statesman and Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has kicked against the dismissal of three police officers who searched his Abuja residence on Tuesday, September 4.

The Cable reports that the nonagenarian stated this when he received former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state at his residence in Abuja on Friday, September 7.

NAIJ.com notes that Clark recounted the event of that day: “Let me recapitulate that, on that day, that is, Tuesday, 4th September, 2018, at about 12:30pm, the police officers in question, from the IGP Special Tactical Squad, under the command of one deputy commissioner of police, Kolo Yusuf, arrived my residence in two vehicles, one 18-seater Toyota Hiace bus and a Toyota Hilux with registration number EU 979 ABC.

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“Some of them were outside the gate armed, while three of them came inside and presented to me a warrant for search duly issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. As a law-abiding citizen, a father of this country, and a lawyer of more than 53 years in practice, I dutifully cooperated and permitted them to carry out their official duties.

“I, however, left them in no doubt of who I am, and questioned if they still wanted to proceed with their official assignment of searching my entire residence for so-called stock-pile of weapons and ammunition from the Niger Delta.

“The officers in question, led by ASP David Aku, diligently and painstainkingly carried out their duties, for about two hours, including searching the private quarters of my wife. I should mention that, while the search was ongoing, one of my sons, the former federal permanent secretary and also former secretary to Bayelsa state government, Ambassador Boladei Igali, who had been with me made telephone contact with one AIG Shehu, who is in charge of intelligence in the Nigeria Police Force.

“In the evening of the same day, the high command led by DIG Joshak Habilla, including the AIG (legal), the FCT police commissioner, and two other commissioners of police, met with me at about 10pm, and conveyed the apologies of the inspector-general of police. They explained further that the matter would be fully investigated and appropriate action taken against all who were involved in the incidence which they described as unfortunate.

"Against this backdrop, I will like to state as follows: The young officers who came to my residence, must not be made scapegoats. Merely sacking the officers concerned, when they were indeed carrying out official instructions, is not enough, if we are to avert such occurrences in future. The incident, must, therefore, be fully investigated and all those involved brought to book.

“For someone to say that they didn’t know these boys were on their own and, therefore, they should be dismissed; why deceive Nigerians? If you made a mistake, say you’ve made a mistake.”

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NAIJ.com previously reported that the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, ordered the immediate dismissal of three policemen involved in the illegal search of the residence of Chief Edwin Clark in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement sent to NAIJ.com on Thursday, September 6, by the Force public relations officer, ACP Jimoh Moshood.

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Source: Naija.ng