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From: Jude Owumanam, Jos
Acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, on Wednesday visited Jos, the Plateau state capital, in a move to find lasting solution to the crises in the state as well as resolving the lingering impasse created by the closure of the secretariats of the 17 local government areas of the state by the immediate past IGP, Usman Alkali Baba.
Daily Sun gathered that this followed representations made to Egbetokun by local government staff, who contended that the continued closure of local government had affected adversely local government administration in the state.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had approved the immediate suspension of the elected local government chairmen whose tenure had not elapsed, a development which had raised eyebrows, especially from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Mutfwang’s attempt to replace the suspended APC council chairmen with transition committees made up of members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was met with stiff resistance as the elected chairmen vehemently refused to vacate their offices.
Attempts by the transition committees to resume duties created tension in the state, leading to the order by the then IGP to Plateau State Police Commissioner, Bartholomew Onyeka, to seal all the 17 local government secretariats of the state.
One of the local government staff who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said, “The argument of local government staff is that you can open the secretariat and allow us to do our job and then close the office of the chairmen pending the resolution of the crisis. We know that the new IGP will be dispassionate about issues of Plateau because his police career started here. And I equally know that they ( IGP and Mutfwang) would have discussed the issue of closure of local government secretariat and its impact behind closed doors.”
This and the security challenges in the state, it was further gathered, formed the plank of the new acting IGP’s visit to Jos.
A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, and made available to our correspondent on Thursday, said that the new IGP was deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and had met with Mutfwang in a bid to address the concerns and to discuss strategies and solutions to tackle the recurring security challenges in the state.
The statement said, “During the meeting, the IGP assured the governor of the Police Force’s commitment to maintaining law and order in Plateau State. He pledged to deploy additional personnel to the region and improve intelligence gathering to curb criminal activities effectively.
“The governor expressed his concerns regarding the security situation in the state and emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to restore peace and protect the lives and property of residents. He also stressed the importance of community engagement in addressing security challenges.
“The IGP acknowledged the importance of community involvement and encouraged residents to trust the police and report suspicious activities promptly. He assured the governor that the police force would establish stronger community policing structures to foster partnership and enhance responsiveness.
“The IGP and the governor both reiterated their commitment to ensuring the safety of residents of Plateau State. They emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence among different ethnic and religious groups, calling on community leaders to promote tolerance and harmony.”
The issue of dissolving elected local government chairmen by every successive government had become a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s political history.
However the Supreme Court in a landmark decision on the 2015 dissolution of the 34 LGs in Katsina State by former Governor Aminu Masari and the 2019 sack of the chairmen and councillors of the 33 LGs and 35 Local Council Development Areas in Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde, had declared such exercise of power as illegal.
The five-man panel of the apex court was unanimous in the judgments that the action was breach of Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
