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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The South West Governors Forum has called on the Inspector General of Police to explain why one of his officers publicly ridiculed the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu while trying to mediate in a land dispute within his jurisdiction.
The six Governors of the region while condemning the disrespectful acts of a police officer to Governor Sanwo-Olu at Magodo area of Lagos, described the action of the police officer as high level of abuse of office.
The chairman of the forum and Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu in a statement he personally signed said the action of the police officer was unexpected of a public Officer.
He said “We are in possession of a video which has gone viral on the social media concerning the disgraceful exchange between a police officer, a CSP and the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the supposed Chief Security Officer of the same at the Magodo Residential Estate.
“The content of the video is very disconcerting and this is being charitable. The utter disrespect, which underlines the response of the officer to the Governor establishes, beyond doubt, the impracticability of the current system, dubiously christened “Federalism”.
“An arrangement, which compels the Governor of a State to seek clarification on security issues in his jurisdiction from totally extraneous bodies or persons is a sure recipe for anarchy.
“We condemn, very strongly, this brazen assault on decency. We call on the Inspector General of Police to explain the justification for this intrusion. This is not acceptable. Any expectations of rapprochement between so called federating units and federal security agencies are becoming forlorn, progressively, due to deliberate acts which mock our very avowal to ethics and professionalism.
“We condemn in very clear terms the role of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami in this act of gross moral turpitude.
“We, on our part, will continue to interrogate the current system, which treats elected representatives of the people as mere prefects, while appointed office holders ride rough shod over them as Lords of the Manor. If the purported Chief Security Officers of the states of the federation require clearance from the office of the IGP on matters within their areas of jurisdictions, only hypocrites will wonder why the current security crisis deepens and there appears to be no solution in the foreseeable future.
We stand by our brother, the Governor of Lagos State. We advise him to deploy the regional security outfit in the state to protect the lives and property of the people.
“We call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to rein in the excesses of certain elements bent on acting in a manner capable of eroding the bond of trust existing between the people and the Federal Government.
“It is preposterous for political appointees to seek to undermine the very structure of service upon which their appointments rest,” Akeredolu stressed.
