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Tag: Mbu

  • ‘Why I wrote a play on the Amaechi / Mbu saga’

    ‘Why I wrote a play on the Amaechi / Mbu saga’

    The lawyer and playwright, Mr. Clinton Dan-Jumbo, gives insight into a play he has released on the Rivers crisis. He spoke to ROSEMARY NWISI, in Port Harcourt.

    What is the play, Amaechi Mgbu all about?

    The play is about my conversations of happenings in Rivers State, my state and Nigeria, my country.

    Looking at the title, ‘Amaechi Mgbu’, two popular names in the recent Rivers political crisis. Has the play anything to do with that?

    Just as I said earlier, the play is all about my observations of happenings in my state; it is not about any individual or particular institution. Am sure as journalists my job as a writer is to mirror the society which I live in and Nigeria is that society, I will therefore be failing in my duties if I don’t write about the things I see in my country.

    So what is your objective of writing the play?

    My objective here is to make my leaders to learn not to politic with our moral values. The issues of 16 being greater than 19, as stated in my work and 5 greater than 26 or 27 touches on our moral values, as it makes our leaders liars and by extension teaching the younger generation that it is alright to lie or distort facts.

    By the way, you sound as if you are a card carrying member of a political party.

    Yes. But my political tie with any party has nothing to do with this work. I try to devoice my political tie to any party from my work. My work is on the society I live in and the things going on in it.

    Did anybody or group sponsor this work?

    Neither the state government nor any group sponsored the work. I can say that in any case giving my profession. I am a bit comfortable and can afford to sponsor my work. Whether Amaechi, President GoodLuck Jonathan or any other person has seen the work, I do not know.

    But how do you imagine that Amaechi will sponsor a book that has balanced view of issues like this one. To a large extent, the book throws punches at him also. Some of the things he has not done well were identified in the work, and the areas the president has equally not done well were also captured in the play.

    Before now have you had any work to your credit?

    Yes. ‘The Snatched Verdict’ and ‘Broken Pedigree’ were my original works.

    Are these books in the market, and is their rate of acceptance?

    The Snatched verdict was my final year project; it was later adopted into the Nollywood movie. While the Broken Pedigree was used for the NYSC 1996 yearly national competition of art.

    Apart from being a lawyer, what else would you have done?

    I am also a playwright as I said earlier, and I love it. I must confess here that I lost the muse at a point, but I have found and recovered it.

    In a nutshell what is the play all about?

    Amaechi Mgbu is a play that Ex-rays large number of unresolved questions in the minds of people, within and outside Rivers state of Nigeria.

    It encapsulates events of happenings in the state on one hand and showcasing its concomitance effects on Nigeria polity on the whole.

    Interestingly, the word “Mgbu” is an Igbo term meaning pain. I have already stated in the introduction that should anybody suggests any other meaning to that word that is the person’s own opinion. In this sense, “Amaechi Mgbu” simply means Amaechi’s pain.

    The play blends fiction and facts. The facts are based on what I gathered from the media. It also captures arguments for and against parties in the imbroglio. It allows the readers to decide for themselves who has the superior argument in this whole drama.

    The work attempts to force those who maybe partisan in the imbroglio to play the characters in it, by engaging in common questions and answers, dialogue, without recourse to physical attacks from anybody or carrying arms to disrupt rallies; that is what all this work is all about.

    Why is the scenario of the drama on a “Mama Put”, eatery joint?

    Well, I needed to gather the facts and the facts I gathered were from those areas. The arguments are more in these areas, including the airports. In fact, as we are granting this interview now I can bet you that arguments are going on concerning this whole drama we are talking about here.

    This is a period we are talking about politics, are you a political office hopeful of any political party.

    I have not contemplated contesting any election, so the question will be addressed much later, time will tell, but for now, I don’t have any such ambition.

    Port Harcourt has been adopted as the World Book Capital for the year 2014, what is your view concerning knowledge application and reading in the state?

    I thank God for Port Harcourt being made World Book Capital. To a large extent I believe that it will take this state to another level. You will agree with me that reading culture died a while. Like, how many people are still visiting the Port Harcourt Library?, but with what was kick started by the “Rainbow Book Club”, in which children were gathered together to appreciate reading culture equally positioned Port Harcourt to winning this honour.

    I believe also that it will engineer more book writers, that is my thinking.

    Who are your target audience?

    To me, this book is for everybody, pupils, students, teachers everybody at all provided you can read. It is devoid of any form of in-umbrage, it is made easy to read by everybody.

    It is even targeted more by the younger generation, because some of the things happening in the polity of this country currently affect them. They are the ones who are learning from it.

    The question of 16 being greater than 19, 5 being greater than 27 as mentioned in the book are questions that would disturb their minds at a time. They will be asking around it, some may even want to accept it as a norm; this book tend to answer their mind agitations by saying no, this is not the norm or right thing, this is the reason for the book.

    The event that led to the writing of this book took place in this environment within eight months and the book is already out, how long did it take you to gather the facts played out here?

    There is no one writer that can capture everything on a particular event. But in this case I can say that I captured so much. It took me approximately one month and half to capture and put these together.

     

  • Even in Abuja, Mbu continues battle with Amaechi

    Even in Abuja, Mbu continues battle with Amaechi

    the ex-Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, in spite of his transfer to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as commissioner, is still unsparing in his attack of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the Rivers Government.

    Till Mbu’s redeployment, Amaechi, maintained that the Cross River State-born police officer is a politician and card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thereby taking sides.

    In an interview in Abuja, the controversial police commissioner declared that the officials of the Rivers government were hiding in vehicles with tinted glasses to perpetrate criminal activities.

    Mbu insisted that he remained a professional police officer, not a politician and not taking sides, while describing Amaechi as a tyrant and a dictator, who wanted him to be his errand boy.

    The Rivers government, however, described the ex-Rivers commissioner of police as a tout, who would fail psychiatric evaluation.

    By moving Mbu out of Rivers, it was alleged by the Amaechi’s administration that his ego had been battered and now looking for how to amend it.

    The Rivers government, through the Commissioner for Land and Survey, Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi, stated in Port Harcourt that the ex-Rivers police commissioner ignored professionalism and acted like a politician, while in Rivers state.

    Ezekiel-Amadi, who is an ally of the NGF chairman, declared that Mbu must be sick, for stating that officials of the Rivers government were hiding in vehicles with tinted glasses to perpetrate criminal activities.

    The land and survey commissioner said: “If I describe him (Mbu) as a lunatic, then I am definitely describing who a lunatic should be. Here is a man, who 13,000 newly-recruited teachers had gone to collect their letters of engagement and he went there and shot teargas canisters at them.

    “Here is a man who claimed that he is a professional and that he has the powers to either grant approval for rallies under the Public Order Act. He claimed he had such powers, he did not know that Justice Anuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, upheld by the Court of Appeal, had nullified the Public Order Act. He did not know and he said he was a professional.

    “Here is a man who, while he was here (Rivers State), hardly paraded any criminal arrested by him. While he was here, he did not do his work as a Commissioner of Police. He made himself the Chief Security Officer of Nyesom Wike (the Supervising Minister of Education).

    “Mbu was following Wike about and yet he said he is a professional. Go to Oyo State and find out how Mbu did his work and you will know that the man definitely needs some psychiatric attention. If he goes for a psychiatric evaluation, he will fail. I challenge Mbu to submit himself for psychiatric evaluation and let us see if he will not fail.”

    Ezekiel-Amadi also stated that shortly before Mbu left Rivers state for Abuja, he (land and survey commissioner) recently visited the site of the Lister Housing Development in Trans-Amadi Industrial layout, Port Harcourt and he went on air to draw attention to the giant strides the Amaechi’s administration was making in the housing sector.

    He noted that two days after he left the site, Mbu sent policemen, who went there and arrested everyone and also withdrew the security personnel on duty, while ordering that Ezekiel-Amadi be picked and locked up, but he travelled.

    The land and survey commissioner stressed that his crime was that he visited a site where a government project was ongoing on, wondering if such a police commissioner was stable.

    Ezekiel-Amadi, who is also a lawyer, said: “I challenge Mbu to show Rivers people the JTF-arrested men, who were armed and who claimed that they were working for some politicians in the state. How far has the matter gone? And he goes on air to go and say agents of government drive tinted vehicles.

    “In Rivers State under Mbu, between 2013 and 2014, policing in the state was all about tinted glasses and revolving light, and you call that policing.

    “We were all in this state when other Commissioners of Police were here. There was Felix Ogbaudu, there was Bala Hassan, there was Mohammed Indabawa; there was Suleiman Abba. They were all here; they can be interviewed, to verify the claims by Mbu and about the state he met the Nigeria Police Force in Rivers State.

    “There was no time we had the kind of trouble we had in this place under Mbu. Unknown to him, some of the people he thought he was working for have expressed embarrassment and frustration about his activities.

    “How do you explain a Commissioner of Police who orders teargas canisters to be shot into the Government House, Port Harcourt? I was a victim and you call that man a Commissioner of Police. It is a good thing that Mbu has been redeployed. It is a good riddance to bad rubbish.

    “I am advising Nyesom Wike, if he is employing Mbu as a security man, he should be careful, because he is not stable. He has been under the enunciation that he is going to be appointed an Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and that is why he had to do what he did in Rivers State. Which person will appoint Mbu an IGP?

    “Mbu came to Rivers State with a script, an assignment. Can you not see that he failed in his assignment? He bungled it, because he does not have the brain to put together an action plan. So, can those people who sent him look at him again and give him a higher assignment? Yet, he said he is a professional. Mbu is a tout.”

    The Rivers Land and Survey Commissioner also described Mbu’s successor, Tunde Ogunsakin, as a professional police officer, with what he had exhibited since he resumed in Rivers St

    He insisted that there was no basis to compare Ogunsakin with Mbu, stressing that the new police commissioner had assured Rivers people that he would not take sides.

    Ezekiel-Amadi said: “In Ogunsakin, you can see a man who knows what to do. He has started well. He is meeting with everybody and that is what Mbu was expected to do. Not taking sides with anybody; remain neutral and allow politicians do their things and on the appointed day, allow the electorate to cast their votes and choose their leaders.

    “That was what Mbu was supposed to do, but he came here (Rivers State), just because they promised to appoint him the IGP and he took sides. He is still talking from every side of his mouth.

    “Since Governor Amaechi came to power, the only assassination that has to do with a politician in this state was even his friend, and investigations tilt towards the police, who might have shot Charles Nsiegbe. After that, there has not been any other politically-motivated assassination or the assassination of a politician in Rivers State. So, where is Mbu getting his information from?”

     

  • My ordeal in the hands of Mbu’s men, by Abe

    My ordeal in the hands of Mbu’s men, by Abe

    The representative of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Ngei Abe, a lawyer, is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG). In this interview with Bisi Olaniyi in Port Harcourt during his first visit to Rivers State after the January 12 in which he was shot with a rubber bullet by policemen at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Abe relives his experience.

    How has it been since the incident of January 12, during the inauguration of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State chapter of the pro-Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s Save Rivers Movement (SRM) at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt?

    First is to thank God that I am here and I am able to talk to everybody and see everybody. That is the most important thing that has happened. The second thing is also to thank God for the victory at the Supreme Court (of Amaechi against Sir Celestine Omehia on February 7).

    We have had lots of these crises. Any right-thinking person will agree that it is time for us to put some of these things behind us. Since last year, there had been a concerted attempt to remove the governor (Amaechi) from office and overthrow the government of Rivers State by force and there is no provision in our Constitution for that kind of behaviour.

    Having tried by all earthly means and they have failed, I will appealed to them to now sheathe their swords and let us work together, to try to help the people of Rivers State. That is the reason for which we say we are playing politics. What we are doing now is not helping them. It is clear that the governor cannot be removed without the law. So, since that is clear and that is what we all agreed, as citizens of Nigeria, let us work with the governor, let him do his job and let all of us, who also have jobs to do, be allowed to do our own jobs. If we do that, it will help the state (Rivers), it will help the country.

    For us to turn Rivers State into a theatre of war, because of the ambition of any single individual, is morally, politically and spiritually wrong. We cannot kill ourselves here, because of anybody. If people feel that they want to join a political party, they should be allowed to join the party of their choice.

    If you feel that you have superior reason why people should follow your own party, explain your reasons to the people. Do not carry guns to go and attack or kill the people, for going to join another party. There is no justification for that kind of behaviour. As far as I know, the President (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) himself has said he does not think that anybody’s ambition is worth anybody’s blood.

    So, how come, the blood of the young boy in Degema-Kalabari (headquarters of Degema LGA of Rivers State)? Whose ambition has the blood they spilled for? So, we should put a stop to these things, before it gets any worse.

    Nobody should assume that when you throw a stone into the market, you know who it will hit. If we continue to buy guns and arm people, every gun you buy has a lifespan of over one hundred years. So, who knows who will be your friend tomorrow? Who knows who will be your enemy tomorrow? Who knows in which direction these guns will point tomorrow? Let us play our politics, win or lose, let us thank God for the privilege he has given to us to lead and we should move on with our lives.

    Some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State and the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), which has as grand patron, the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, as well as the Rivers Police Command are still insisting that you were not shot by policemen on January 12 and that you simply pretended to attract global attention and sympathy. What is your reaction?

    I was not alone there. There were more than 200 people, who saw what happened. This young man was there with the camera. He was beaten up and his camera was destroyed. So, if nothing happened, why were they so eager to make sure that no picture of what happened got out?

    They opened fire on us in their midst. We were not in any crowd. To say that I was not shot is the largest understatement or the biggest lie of the century. These men opened fire, teargassed, everything was fired everywhere. People saw what happened. That I was not killed, yes, but to say they opened fire on you and you did not die, therefore nothing happened, is the height of. I do not know how to describe it. However, for me, I am going to court. I have asked my lawyers to file my case in court, against all those who had hands in what happened. I will meet them in court.

    How will you react to the refusal to read the letter of the 11 defecting senators and the next line of action?

    The Senate is a political institution. The problem we have in the Senate is political. There were some reports in the papers that I was angry and I walked out on the Senate. It is not correct.

    As you can see, even physically looking at me, I had an appointment with my doctor and so I wanted to leave early. The fact remains that what we have in the Senate is not different from what we have been having. We have a situation in the Senate. We have confidence in the leadership of the Senate. We have confidence in the Senate as an institution, that we will find a solution that will enable us as individual Senators to find our own satisfaction and self expression. That will allay the fears and concerns of those who have fears and concerns. That will protect the democracy of our country and uphold our constitutional rights and the rights of all Nigerians, particularly elected lawmakers, to abide by what their people want.

    So, it is to craft a solution that takes all these individual elements into it and satisfies all of them. That is the challenge before the Senate and it is not a new challenge. That is what the Senate is known and respected for. So, we are confident that one way or the other, we will find a solution that will not threaten the unity of the Senate.

    So, whether letter is read or letter is not read, as I pick up my card, I become a member of the APC.

    I cannot be a member of the APC and be sitting with PDP people, because in the Senate, we sit according to our party. So, I will not sit there. Definitely, we must find a solution that will enable me to sit with my colleagues and contribute to the floor.

    If I sit with PDP people, if I talk, how will it be recorded? Will they say Magnus Abe, PDP Rivers South-East? When I am no longer a member of the PDP. It has to be recorded that Magnus Abe, APC, Rivers South-East. That is what I am.

    So, the solution that will craft all these problems and solve them is what the Senate needs and that is what we are working for. Nobody is against anybody. Nobody is fighting anybody. We are politicians and we will play politics.

     

  • Ogunsakin…The man who will ‘clear’ Mbu’s mess

    Ogunsakin…The man who will ‘clear’ Mbu’s mess

    Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu was on February 6 redeployed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and replaced with Johnson Tunde Ogunsakin, an indigene of Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, who was the commissioner in charge of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Mbu, for almost all his time in Rivers, many say was unprofessional.

    To Rivers indigenes, Ogunsakin’s success will depend on his embrace of professionalism and neglect of partisanship.

    Ogunsakin was born on August 1, 1957 and enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in 1982. He attended L. A. Primary School, Ikere-Ekiti and later proceeded to the Annunciation College, Ikere-Ekiti.

    On completion of his secondary school education, the Rivers police commissioner gained admission into the then University of Ife, Ile-Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). He graduated in 1980 with B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science/History.

    He participated in the compulsory one year national youth service in Ogun State in 1981. He also has Advanced Diploma in Law Diplomacy/Conflict Management from the University of Jos (UNIJOS) and enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in 1982.

    Ogunsakin started his police career in 1984 in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, as a Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) at the Bodija Police Station. In 1985, he attended the Anti-Riot Mobile Police Training at Gwoza, Borno State. He was the Unit Commander, Number 4 Squadron, Ibadan. In 1989, he joined the Interpol Lagos as a Detective Superintendent.

    t Interpol, he performed excellently, became the head and was made the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Organised Crime Division; OC, Europe/North America of the Economic and Financial Crimes Division and the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of Interpol.

    Ogunsakin was among the officers that worked on the team that put an end to the terror reign of the notorious armed robbery gang of Lawrence Anini in the country.

    Shortly after his redeployment, said: “I am going to do my professional work and create an environment for the peaceful conduct of elections. I will be fair to all.”

    The new Rivers police boss was appointed commissioner of police, SFU in 2009. Prior to the appointment, he was the deputy police commissioner, Information Technology, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

    Ogunsakin also served as the Director of Operations of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) between June 2008 and May 2009. He is a former Head of Investigations at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

    The representative of Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro constituency of Rivers State in the House of Representatives, Dakuku Peterside, believes there is the need to give peace a chance in the state.

    Peterside, who is the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and ex-Rivers Commissioner for Works, said: “Mbu is only a symptom of an ailment. Mbu is not all about the problem. He is not the fundamental problem. The fundamental problem is to guarantee the rights of Rivers people to associate freely. The rights of Rivers people to gather when they so choose to. That is the issue. Mbu is only a vehicle that they have abused.

    “The police force is established by our constitution and they have rights. It is funded by tax payers’ money. They have rather abused the institution of the police force. Whether you change Mbu or not, is not the issue. The President is under oath to guarantee the freedom of all Nigerians. He is on oath to protect lives and property. Are lives and property protected? The answer is no.

    “For me, when there is breakdown of law and order, when you continue to go on with lawlessness, it is the first sign of a failed state. We are advancing to that point. We must do something drastic to halt the decline that we are currently experiencing.

    “We must do something very fundamental to stop the lawlessness that pervades the land. Until we stop the lawlessness, then there is no hope for our people. Our people will take their destinies into their own hands. They will stop this impunity by their votes. Of course, February 2015 is by the corner.

    “Our people are tired of this lawlessness. They are tired of this impunity. They will use their votes and stop this madness.

    “Whether Mbu comes or Mbu goes is immaterial. The Nigeria police should keep themselves to their constitutionally-guaranteed duty of enforcement of law and order. Whether it is Mr. White or Mr. John, we are not excited.

    “What we want to see is the fact that the police force must be impartial, must be fair to all manner of people, protect lives and property and ensure the maintenance of law and order. That will be our ultimate joy and will be the ultimate joy of our people.”

    Senator Magnus Abe, who was at the receiving end of Mbu’s reign of terror, said change must come.

    Abe, while recalling his experience in the hand of Mbu’s men, said: “I was not alone there (Rivers College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt). There were more than two hundred people, who saw what happened. This young man was there with the camera. He was beaten up and his camera was destroyed. So, if nothing happened, why were they so eager to make sure that no picture of what happened got out?

    “They (policemen) opened fire on us in their midst. We were not in any crowd. To say that I was not shot is the largest understatement or the biggest lie of the century. These men opened fire, teargassed, everything was fired everywhere. People saw what happened.

    “That I was not killed, yes, but to say they opened fire on you and you did not die, therefore nothing happened, is the height of. I do not know how to describe it. However, for me, I am going to court. I have asked my lawyers to file my case in court, against all those who had hands in what happened. I will meet them in court.”

    He said the time had come for a new direction for the state.

    Abe said: “We have had lots of these crises. Any right-thinking person will agree that it is time for us to put some of these things behind us. Since last year, there had been a concerted attempt to remove the governor (Amaechi) from office and overthrow the government of Rivers State by force and there is no provision in our Constitution for that kind of behaviour.

    “Having tried by all earthly means and they have failed, I will appeal to them to now sheathe their swords and let us work together, to try to help the people of Rivers State. That is the reason for which we say we are playing politics. What we are doing now is not helping them. It is clear that the governor cannot be removed without the law.

    “So, since that is clear and that is what we all agreed, as citizens of Nigeria, let us work with the governor (Amaechi), let him do his job and let all of us, who also have jobs to do, be allowed to do our own jobs. If we do that, it will help the state (Rivers), it will help the country.

    “For us to turn Rivers State into a theatre of war, because of the ambition of any single individual, is morally, politically and spiritually wrong. We cannot kill ourselves here, because of anybody. If people feel that they want to join a political party, they should be allowed to join the party of their choice.

    “If you feel that you have superior reason why people should follow your own party, explain your reasons to the people. Do not carry guns to go and attack or kill the people, for going to join another party. There is no justification for that kind of behaviour. As far as I know, the President (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) himself has said he does not think that anybody’s ambition is worth anybody’s blood.

    “Nobody should assume that when you throw a stone into the market, you know who it will hit. If we continue to buy guns and arm people, every gun you buy has a lifespan of over one hundred years.

    “So, who knows who will be your friend tomorrow? Who knows who will be your enemy tomorrow? Who knows in which direction these guns will point tomorrow? Let us play our politics, win or lose, let us thank God for the privilege he has given to us to lead and we should move on with our lives.”

    The Rivers Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibibia Walter, however, insisted that Mbu exhibited professionalism.

    Walter said: “Mbu exhibited professionalism

    while in Rivers State. Many Rivers people appreciated the works of Mbu in Rivers State. Mbu was accused of protecting the PDP by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the APC and SRM’s leaders, who found it difficult to pocket Mbu, who showed so much professionalism.

    “That is why he (Mbu) has been deployed to a higher challenge. The incoming police commissioner (Ogunsakin) must also show professionalism.”

    The President of the pro-Amaechi’s SRM, Charles Aholu, a lawyer, declared that Mbu would be remembered for rascality, partisanship and trampling on rights of Rivers people.

    Aholu said: “Mbu’s redeployment from Rivers State to Abuja is a victory for democracy. Mbu will be remembered for the rascality he perpetrated on the psyche of Rivers people. He will be remembered as the only cop that has worn a very clear apparel of partisanship, when it comes to policing.

    “Mbu will also be remembered for trampling on the rights of Rivers citizens and for us, these are not good remarks.

    “The incoming police commissioner (Ogunsakin) should not make the mistakes that Mbu made. We will expect him to be professional in his approach. We believe that he will be professional.”

    The new Rivers police commissioner said in an interview: “As a policeman, you must be prepared for every challenge. Whether you are doing investigation, operations or even administration, you must be prepared to step on toes.

    “If you are doing investigation or working on a case, you must believe in yourself and then know that you have responsibilities. The responsibility you have is your guts, your country and you will do justice to the case you are doing.

    “If you are investigating any case, you must have it at the back of your mind that your friends, brothers, sisters and church members are going to come to try to influence you, either on the side of the suspect or the complainant.

    “So, you must be able to define your own pedigree. Once you believe in God and you believe in fairness, you will overcome every challenge. I have friends, but my friends know me when it comes to my job. I do not joke with my job. I can hardly be influenced.”

    Ogunsakin also admitted that initially, he did not want to become a policeman, while opting to work in a foreign mission

    He said: “Everybody has an ambition. As a small child, when you are growing up, you always want to grow up to be like your father. So, it is true that while we were in the university I did not want to become a police officer, because the profession did not look attractive then, but the event that happened later did change my whole perception about the police.

    “I am very proud to be a police officer. I thank God for that. I have satisfaction being a policeman and people must appreciate that police are friends of the public.

    “There were several jobs when we finished school, but my target was to work in foreign mission, but I am now a policeman and I am very happy to be a policeman.”

    The new Rivers police boss admitted that he did not know he was going to join the Nigeria police, but it happened after an event, as he was impressed by how a police officer handled the matter, when he and his friend were wrongly accused of assaulting a police officer, which he said propelled him to join the police.

    Ogunsakin said: “Prior to that incident, if there was any profession I was interested in, it was not definitely the Nigeria police. I was on the verge of joining the Nigerian Foreign Service, when a friend and I were accused of assaulting a police officer and we were taken to the police station.

    “An ASP handled the situation so professionally, that I was so keen to want to join the Nigeria police, because of his action and that led me to where I am now. I am actually proud to be a policeman and I am enjoying the job.”

    Hailing from Ekiti State, fondly referred to as “The Fountain of Knowledge” and “The Land of Honour,” which has Dr. Kayode Fayemi as governor, the new Rivers police commissioner places emphasis on integrity and fear of God, standing out as a police officer who cannot be compromised.

    Ogunsakin said: “As soon as I finished the training, that lasted for 13 months, at the Police Staff College, Jos, I was posted to Ibadan as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). I was privileged to serve in the office of Mrs. Koloko, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) at Dugbe Motor Traffic Division.

    “My working with Mrs. Koloko shaped my job in the Nigeria Police, because she was a very strict disciplinarian. She had zero tolerance to corruption. I was to spend three months attachment with her, but ended up spending eight months, out of the nine months attachment I was supposed to do, because she would not let me go.

    “Initially, senior officers who had worked with her tried to discourage me from doing my attachment with her, when they heard that I was posted to her office, because they believed she was wicked and all that, but then, I had no choice, I was posted there.

    “My first day, I got to the office around 7:30 am and she was already there. The second day, I was in the office by 7:45 am, she was there again and I told myself I had to adjust my timing, because she did not say anything. The third day, I got to the office five minutes before her and the fourth day 10 minutes earlier and since then, I studied her conduct.

    “I did my best and she reciprocated by giving me a lot of sensitive jobs, counseling me and she was very good to me. She mentored me. She stays in Ibadan, but she still comes around to encourage us.

    “After my attachment, I was posted to the Crime Department of Bodija Station in Ibadan. After about a year, there was an opening in the Anti-Riot Police, otherwise known as the Mobile Police and I was very interested. So, I went to the Commander in the Mobile then, who is late now, and I told him I was interested in Mobile Police.

    “The Commander just looked at me and said I was just about a year old in the Nigeria Police Force and that the Commissioner of Police then, Senator Nuhu Aliyu, now retired, would not consider me, because I had to spend at least three years, before I could be admitted to the Mobile Police. I begged him that I wanted to do it.

    “Fortunately for me, not many officers wanted to go into Mobile Police then, because most officers wanted to work in other divisions. I put more pressure and I was taken to the then Deputy Commissioner of Police, who was initially reluctant, but eventually took me to the then Commissioner of Police, who asked me if I really wanted to join the Mobile Police and I said yes. He then said if I had made up my mind to join the Mobile Police, he believed I could do great.

    “The mobile training I received has always been a good part of me, because it was quite different from the ordinary learning process of the police. It was effective, thorough and strenuous. There is a saying in the Mobile Police, the three “S” which is Silence, Speed and Surprise. The Silence, Speed and Surprise are the key “S” that prepares you for other issues.”

    He believes it pays to work hard, be professional in one’s duties, shun corruption and put one’s trust only in the Lord.

    Ogunsakin said: “When I left the Mobile Police after three and a half years, I was in Lagos and I had an instance when my boys killed eight armed robbers in one night, when Anini was terrorising the state.

    “If you are good in the Mobile Police, you are good, because they are very professional. I was nicknamed ‘Tunde OC Court’ or ‘Tunde Idiagbon’ in Ibadan, because they knew that I would never want to hear about anybody collecting money at the road blocks. My experience at the road traffic in Ibadan helped me a lot. Back then in Ibadan, anybody that was caught was taken to court, hence the nickname given to me.

    “That was how I got myself into Interpol, because when I left the Mobile Police, I met with Aliyu, who said I would be good in investigation and he brought me to Lagos. As soon as I got to Alagbon in Lagos, I was posted to Interpol. As at that time, not many people wanted to work in the Interpol.

    “I handled the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) case and we recovered about N23 million. I handled the case of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), where we recovered about N650 million and the suspects were charged to court and other cases like that.

    “Subsequently, I briefly worked in the Provost’s Office and I was moved to the Police Staff College as the Director of Studies for few months. I was taken back to Abuja and I worked in the Force Secretary’s Office. From there, I was moved to IG Monitoring Unit, where I worked under Mr. Sunday Ehindero (former IGP). From there, I was moved to the ICPC as the Head of Investigations.

    “I must mention that Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, is somebody I see myself very lucky to have worked with, because I learnt a lot from him. When I got to the ICPC, there were lots of things we wanted to do, but he was like, he slowed us down, saying we had to be very thorough.

    “Most of the cases I handled, I had to first send them to his office and he would call me to his office saying: ‘Tunde, o ya sit down, you want to charge this man to the court’ and I would said yes sir. ‘I am the Judge in this court, you are the prosecutor, convince me why this man should go to the court and all that.’ If you are not prepared, then you would mess yourself up. So, before taking a case to him, you must know what he was going to ask you and you must be well prepared.

    “I was later moved to the EFCC as the Director of Operations. From there, I was posted back to the Police as the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Information Technology. It was a section of the Police I enjoyed, because of the dynamism of the society and the globalisation of policing. You must be up to date in Information Technology, to be able to do good policing. I left the place and thanks to the IGP and Police Management Team, I was posted to the SFU as the Commissioner of Police.”

    In Ogunsakin’s interaction with police officers across the globe, he said he found that police officers are respectfully remunerated. In United Kingdom, for instance, he noted that a police inspector friend of his (now retired) then earned about 47,000 Pounds annually, and upon retirement, the house he lived in worth about 300,000 Pounds would become his and would go on vacation twice a year, to any location of his choice in the world and the government would pay, while education, medicals and others for his children were free, making cases of corruption in the UK to be very minimal.

    He called on the members of the National Assembly and other people at the helm of affairs to give priority attention to police welfare.

    The new Rivers police commissioner said: “Police officers and men have to be very well remunerated, because there are so many good police officers and men that corruption practices will be unattractive to, if they are well looked after.

    “The core problem of corruption today is because of lack of security. Anybody in the corridors of power thinks that it is his time and the best he will do is to get enriched before the time runs out. Because of our kind of polity and cultural demands, people tend to prepare for the future.

    “In a situation where you have a future, in the sense that you have a welfare package and your retirement is secured, then corruption will become very unattractive.”

    Ogunsakin also admonished Nigerians, especially the youths, to imbibe the culture of integrity in whatever they do.

    Will his integrity not give way in Rivers? All eyes will be on Ogunsakin. Certainly.

  • CP Mbu gets his reward

    CP Mbu gets his reward

    Former Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, would be remembered for a long time in Nigerian political folklore not for his crime-fighting skills, but for how he became the issue as local politicians jockeyed for ascendancy.

    His role in the dogfight between Amaechi and the First Family and their surrogates represents a new low for a police force that does not rate too highly in public opinion. Many drew parallels between Mbu’s actions and those of another infamous Police Commissioner, Bishop Eyitene, who the then ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) used to frustrate former Anambra State Governor, Jim Nwobodo.

    Some have been celebrating Mbu’s transfer from Port Harcourt as though his new posting were some sort of punishment. Hardly! In terms of how they are prized two of the most coveted postings in the Nigeria Police are the commissionerships of Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    It would seem that those whom he served so faithfully have rewarded Mbu with a plum posting. Many had canvassed that the man be sent Borno State where his aggressive and partisan policing methods would have helped the government achieve their April 2014 deadline for snuffing out the Boko Haram insurgency.

    But while Amaechi and his supporters may be heaving a sigh of relief, senators would be well advised to invest in a couple of rubber bullet-proof vests. A certain Senator Magnus Abe would tell them that with Mbu in town that is a wise investment!

  • Boko Haram: Mbu shuns Jigawa lawmakers

    Boko Haram: Mbu shuns Jigawa lawmakers

    A Jigawa State House of Assembly delegation to Rivers State to probe last Sunday’s arrest and detention of 296 Boko Haram suspects was frustrated yesterday in Port Harcourt.

    Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu was unavailable to receive them.

    The police released 275 suspects and kept 19 behind bars because security agents, who interrogated them, said they could not explain their mission in Rivers State.

    It was gathered that the commissioner travelled out of town when the lawmakers visited his office yesterday.

    Although he was aware of their visit, for inexplicable reasons, he travelled and did not delegate any officer to stand in for him.

    An Assistant Commissioner of Police, who out of courtesy, received the lawmakers, told them that he was not in a position to speak on behalf of Mbu and the command.

    The leader of the delegation, Shehu Liman Wan, said they learnt that the 296 people were arrested at various entry points into Rivers State and not in a convoy of 17 vehicles, as reported in the media.

    Wan, who represents Kalugama, said leaders of the Hausa community in the state said nothing incriminating was found on the detainees.

    He said most of them were petty traders, cobblers and truck-pushers, who were coming to Port Harcourt to make their living.

    “We are here because of the arrest of our people from Jigawa State. We have been here since Wednesday and our investigations have shown that 296 people were arrested and 275 have been released.

    “On our arrival yesterday, almost all were released except 19. Our mission here is to find out what really happened.

    “We started with the community leaders, later we met with the detainees and after that with the police. When we got to the Police commissioner’s office, he was not on his desk.

    “After our meeting with community leaders, we found out that nothing incriminating was found on the suspects; they are mainly traders and those who come here on annual vacation. They are involved in shoe-shining, truck pushing, tailoring, and several other things.

    “Normally, after every rainy season, they come here to earn a living before the next rainy season. For those who were arrested, they left Jigawa on Friday morning.

    “Contrary to media reports, the people were not arrested in a convoy of 17 buses. They loaded the same day, but at the point of entry, each vehicle was arrested at different directions and later converged together by the police. So, they were not arrested in a convoy.

    “Information gathered showed that of the 19 still held, 17 cannot explain their mission properly. One of them claimed that he is from Niger Republic and he is the driver, who conveyed mos of the other detainees. Police did not give us the actual number of persons arrested; we got the figures from our sources.

    “The Hausa community leaders we have here are capable and trustworthy. They assured us that they are working with the police. What we are doing is fact-finding and we will report to the House and the House will know the next action to take.

    “Almost all are from Jigawa State; let’s say 98 per cent of them are from Jigawa. Among the ones still detained, two are from Kano and Bauchi.”

    The Deputy Commissioner, State Criminal Investigation Department (DC/CID), Sam Ukaula, confirmed the release of the suspects.

    Ukaula, however, said 19 of them, whose mission in Port Harcourt was not clear are still in custody. They are being kept for further interrogation.

    The DC said the arrest of the occupants was necessitated by earlier report that a killer squad had been dispatched to Port Harcourt.

    He said the police’s action was meant to stop trouble. Ukaula absolved the command of any political connection, as being speculated.

    Ukaula said: “It is pertinent to point out that one of the suspects, Mohammed Musa, was searched at the time of arrest and an expended bullet was recovered from his bag.

    “Another suspect, Mohammed Lawal, who crossed from Niger Republic to Nigeria could not explain his mission in Port Harcourt.

    “What the police have done was a response to information, especially considering the security situation in some parts of the country.

    “It must be noted that there is no political colouration whatsoever as being speculated by some members of the public.

    “The exercise is purely routine and should be seen as such,” Ukaula said.

  • Mbu’s curious ‘thank-you’ advert

    Ohere was a curious advert in The Punch on Tuesday. The advert was signed by Rivers State Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu. The advert bore the images of Inspector-General of Police MD Abubakar and the Deputy Inspector-Generals as well as the Assistant-Inspector-Generals. All of them are Mbu’s bosses in the police.

    The message in the advert reads: “Thank You. Thank you agents of change. We have never been so blessed. Thank you for your understanding, loyalty and support to the listening Inspector General of Police, M.D. Abubakar.”

    The question that came to mind upon reading the message wa: what is the essence of the advert? Was Mbu trying to bribe the Inspector-General so that he would not move against him? Or was he just being mischievous? Information has it that he does not take instruction from the IGP anymore but from the ‘Madam on top’. So, what is his business thanking the DIGs and the AIGs for supporting Abubakar? And what does he mean by Abubakar being the ‘listening Inspector-General of Police.’ Who does the IGP listen to? The Nigerian people? Or the powers-that-be, who have ordered him to look the other way while Mbu carries out the instruction to roast Rivers?

    For the record, the police under Mbu have perpetrated nothing but illegality. They have turned teh rule of law upside down. They behave more like uniformed gangsters, out to ambush democracy. They trample on the rights of the Rivers people to assemble. They deny the people the protection guaranteed to them by the Constitution .

    For Mbu’s information, in case he pretends not to know, the Constitution gives Nigerians the power to associate freely without any need for police permit.

    If Mbu’s advert was to lobby his bosses to ensure he continues to stay in Rivers and wreak havoc, then he is a joker. Nothing lasts forever. Even life itself has an end, not to talk of an office. If he is not forced out by humanbeings, age will force him out.

    It must be pointed out that after the threat by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ask its lawmakers to withdraw from discussing executive bills, Mbu’s men. for teh first time in a long while, allowed a rally by the Save Rivers Movement (SRM) in Bori, the headquatres of Ogoniland. Before then, Mbu’s men would have tear-gassed everybody away and if his men did not, thugs would have used bullets and machetes freely without the police stopping them. It was like they were working ahnd in hand.

    Whatever Mbu’s motive for the advert, it must be pointed out that as the next general elections draw near, it is important for the police in Rivers to be careful so as not to burn the country and kill democracy. If things continue the way they are, then this country is in danger. People must be free to associate. The fact that they belong to a party opposing the president should not affect their rights to advance their positions.

    Mbu has done his best in Rivers State. It is time he left. And now is the time.

  • Time to redeploy Mbu to Maiduguri

    Time to redeploy Mbu to Maiduguri

    My dear IGP MD Abubakar,

    It is with great pleasure that I write you this letter. I am also writing with the hope that you will not see me as one of those medddlesome interlopers who will not mind their own business.

    Really, the issue at hand is my business. It is the business of all of us who wish this country well.

    Not a few told me not to bother writing you on this matter, because, as they say, your hands are tied. They say if you have you way things will not be the way they are, but that you are being controlled by powers you dare not challenge despite being the number one cop.

    I, however, told them that I will write before it is too late.

    I write about one of your officers, Joseph Mbu, who is the Rivers State Police Commissioner. Mbu is wasting away in Rivers. Sincerely, his services are not needed there. They are needed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, where Boko Haram insurgents are giving the people and the government a hell of a time.

    Like Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka said last week, an officer like Mbu should not be in a peaceful environment in Rivers. He is needed where the action is and where else is action better than Maiduguri, which is the capital of insurgency in Nigeria.

    Hardly does a day pass without bombs being thrown in Borno. Life means nothing to the insurgents. An average life in the area does not look more than a chicken’s life to the insurgents. Blood looks like water and can be spilled anyhow. This is where Mbu can dsiplay his dexterity. Here he will prove his brilliance. He will show us that his training was First Class and we will all bow for his intellect. Keeping him in a place like Rivers is like asking him to separate two chickens fighting. Mbu is more than this, IGP Abubakar.

    Since he got to Rivers, Mbu has been in the news. It is either he is complaining that someone did not get a permit before holding a rally or that a permit was issue for one reason only for it to be used for another. He looks the other way when groups loyal to the Presidency hold political events and send out his attack dogs when those oppose to the Presidency hold events.

    One wonders how many cartons of tear gas carnisters have been expended in Rivers since Mbu join. There is hardly a day that his men do not have to use tear gas carnisters to disperse anti-presidency elements. Teachers who were undergoing an orientation programme were even tear-gassed and accused of attending a rally without police permit. It is believed that rubber bullets are also being deployed by Mbu to deal with the enemies. Mbu said his men fired no rubber bullets at anyone. But Senator Magnus Abe, who Mbu said he saw only once and cannot recognise, is a life example that rubber bullets were fired.

    At this juncture, I must point your attention to the fact that the situation in Rivers is a very funny one. Governor Rotimi Amaechi is called the Chief Security Officer. But the truth is Mbu is the Chief Security Officer. Or better still he performs that function on your behalf. I must also let you know what is being said about you in regard to what Mbu is doing in Rivers. They say he is acting a script you gave him on behalf of some forces in the Presidency.

    With due respect to your office, you made a mistake in posting Mbu to Rivers. Like I noted earlier that is not where he is needed. For a man who is ‘foul-mouthed’ like Mbu, he will be able to instil fear in Boko Haram insurgents. They will so fear him that they will turn in their weapons without him lifting a finger.

    Rivers does not need him and now is the time to end his reign there and take him to where his services will best be appreciated.

    Failure to rid Rivers of Mbu will be like a confirmation of the belief that this administration has no respect for the rule of law and that you are a spineless IGP, who is ready to do the biddings of the Presidency just to keep his job. But let me remind you sir, no matter what you tenure will expire one day, just like the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan too. Nothing can best confirm this to you than the pictures of former occupants of your office which occupy a prime spot in the police headquaters. If they did not leave, there will be no IGP Abubakar.

    This is a time to tell the truth about the illegal conduct of the Police in Rivers; it is uniformed gangsters, ambushing democracy. The rights and the protection guaranteed to Nigerians by the Constitution should not be taken away by the police. Any attempt to do this must be resisted. The Constitution gives Nigerians the power to associate freely without any need for police permit.

    The police in Rivers under Mbu are redefining what ‘minimum’ force means. If using rubber bullets amount to ‘minimum’ force, then IGP, I ask: what is maximum force? I guess, the use of life bullets.

    If minimum force landed Abe in hospital, maximum force would have sent him or any other person who dare query Mbu’s men to early grave?

    IGP , the police must watch it as the next general elections draw near so as not to burn the country and kill democracy. If things continue the way they are, then this country is in danger. People must be free to associate. The fact that they belong to a party opposing the president should not affect their rights to associate, discuss and advance their positions. Rights should have no affiliation.

    On behalf of CP Mbu, I end this letter with a plea: the people of Maiduguri or Bama or Damaturu in Yobe State will be glad to have this fine officer who is being wasted away in Rivers, where he is clearly not needed. He told a Senate delegation he has done so much (damage?) in Rivers. I assure him he will do better in Borno or Yobe.

    And a quick one for you sir: softly, softly.

     

     

  • Police Commissioner Mbu, softly, softly

    The Rivers State Commissioner Mbu is a man of arrogance. On Sunday, he was on Channels TV explaining why his men dispersed an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Obio Akpor, which resulted in Senator Magnus Abe developing low blood pressure and internal bleeding.

    The violent and direct attack on Abe is a frontal assault against democracy. The police have been unleashed on the people. The police seem not willing to arrest first, but primed to shoot first and ask questions later. The country seems burdened with a Police Force that has now become an agent provocateur and a tool of political oppression.

    Former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, in a reaction on the matter, said: ” The Jonathan Presidency is willing to sacrifice the lives of countless Nigerians so that it can continue to lord it over Nigerians. If they could shoot a current Senator in broad daylight on a Sunday, imagine the mayhem they will set upon the average citizen seeking to advance his political rights. Their purpose is not to govern Nigeria but to break down the rule of law and our democratic institutions so that they may own Nigeria.

    “The illegal conduct of the Police in Rivers should be called what it is; it is uniformed gangsters, a coup against democracy. The rights and the protection guaranteed to the Nigerian people should never be a function of the party they are affiliated with. Under the current Jonathan government, we move towards fascism.”

    The Rivers APC has described as barefaced lies CP Joseph Mbu’s account of the event. It described Abe’s fate as “attempted murder”.

    It faulted Mbu’s claim that it applied for police permit for most of its rallies but failed to do so for the Obio-Akpor rally. It said it rather applied for police protection for the Obio-Akpor rally and instead Mbu’s men disrupted the rally.

    Mbu’s claims raise posers about what minimum force means? If minimum force landed Abe in hospital, maximum force would have sent him to early grave?

    It must be pointed out to Mbu, who is pretending not to know, that the Constitution gives Nigerians the power to associate freely without any need for police permit.

    CP Mbu and his sponsors need to pray Abe lives, as things may get out of hand if he leaves!

    As the 2015 elections draw near, the police must watch it. If things continue the way they are, then this country is in danger. People must be free to associate.

    The words of the late Mahatma Gandhi suffices here: “Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.”

    The National Assembly must rise to its statutory responsibility in defence of the people’s rights and to exercise legislative oversight of an executive branch through the police which has lost all sense of democratic balance and fair play.

    If the National Assembly does not rise at this juncture, things will only worsen.

    Mbu also needs to watch it. Even if he is being sent on an evil assignment, he should reject it because of his tomorrow.

    Softly, softly Mbu. Those using you will get tired of you at some points and look for another person to use and you will have the value of an orange already soaked.

     

     

  • Mbu: I’m at peace with Amaechi

    Mbu: I’m at peace with Amaechi

    Rivers State Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu yesterday denied any rift between him and Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    He also denied being a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), being sympathetic to the party’s interest and taking instructions from the President and the First Lady.

    Mbu said his alleged persistent disrespect to the governor and disobedience to his directives was not true.

     He accused the media of “blowing the issues in Rivers State out of proportion”.

    He claimed that there was a cordial relationship between him and Amaechi, contrary to what the governor and functionaries of the state have been saying.

    Amaechi, when he honoured the invitation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to which he petitioned, accused Mbu of engaging in rights abuses and disrespecting constituted authorities.

    Mbu spoke in Abuja yesterday when he appeared before the NHRC to respond to issues raised against him in Amaechi’s petition.

    Mbu’s appearance before the commission coincided with its Executive Chairman, Professor Bem Angwe’s announcement of plans to commemorate this year’s International Human Rights Day slated for December 10.

    On allegations that he had taken sides in the dispute between the Presidency and Amaechi, and that he does not see eye to eye with the governor, Mbu said: “I am a Commissioner of Police of the state and it is my duty to protect all of you.I do not belong to any political party. But you know that once you are doing the right thing, and you are not favouring any particular group, you will be labeled.

    “It is not true. My phone is here. Even yesterday, I spoke with my governor. Two days ago, I spoke with him about four times. Last week, I was in his office twice. We even held a security meeting with other service commanders in the state.

    “I think the media are over blowing the issue in Rivers State. We are working with the governor amicably. But one thing is clear; the enemies of the governor are not my enemies.”

    “I am a police officer I am an umpire. My job is to make sure I protect everybody, who is in Rivers State. That is my professional calling and I stand by it,” Mbu said.

    On whether his claim that he had had phone conversations with the governor implies a truce in their reported dispute, Mbu said: “We have never disagreed.

    “I mean, we have never been at loggerheads, except that I am a professional officer and, having been an officer for more than two and halve decades, I know my job and what is right.

    “The governor of Rivers State is my governor and my boss. All I wish to tell you is that we are working well.”

    On the allegation that he takes instructions from the First Lady and the President, Mbu said: “How can I take instructions from the First Lady? Go and check my calls data and see if I have ever spoken with the First Lady. I take instructions from my boss, who is the Inspector General of Police.

    “I don’t have any business with the President. It is my boss, who deals with the President. I have no access to the President and I do not think I wish to have any access to the President.”

    Angwe, who stressed the need for all to be involved in the fight against rights abuses in the country, said activities marking the day will culminate in a walk to be held early on December 10 and a national dialogue and launch of NHRC Orders and Rules of Procedure later in the day.

    “The day is important in the life of mankind as it re-echoes and reaffirms the dignity and inalienable rights of the human person irrespective of their geographical location, race, colour, religion or gender,” he said. Angwe assured that his commission will activate all its powers under its establishment Act and continue to work hard to address all human rights issues in the country.

    The Human Rights Adviser, the Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria, Pascal Holliger, stressed the need for enhanced rights protection in Nigeria. He urged the federal to government to reactivate the moratorium on death penalty.

    He observed that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

    Holliger urged everyone to participate in the activities lined up for the celebration of the day.