THE Nigeria Police has denied a report that Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General, has ordered Bolaji Salami, Ondo State Commissioner of Police to restore the security details of the state’s deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, with immediate effect.
The report said the directive was contained in a letter issued to the Ondo Police Commissioner through the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations, Force headquarters Abuja.
But Frank Mba, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) told The ICIR that the report was not true.
“You can’t order for a restoration of something that was never taken away,” Mba said in a telephone interview on Monday.
Also, Tee Leo Ikoro, Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, debunked the report in a phone interview with The ICIR, saying that it never happened.
Speaking on the allegation that Ondo State Commissioner of Police had withdrawn security details attached to the embattled deputy governor of the state, Ikoro said, “I don’t think that would be necessary because the deployment of force to the deputy governor is the directive of the IGP, it is only the IGP that can send securities or withdraw them to governors or deputy.”
He further said that the Force Headquarters had issued a press release to identify securities and also assigned each of them their duties respectively in the state.
“Here in Ondo State, it is clearly impossible for the CP to withdraw the deputy governor’s security details,” Ikoro, an Assistant Superintended of Police (ASP) said.
It will be recalled that Bolaji Salami, Ondo State Commissioner of Police was seeing in a viral video exchanging words with the deputy governor after some police officers prevented the latter from leaving the Government House following his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party.
But Salami said he was at the Government House Saturday night of June 21 to discharge his duty as a police chief and also to broker peace.
After their encounter, Ajayi raised alarm over an alleged withdrawal of his Police escort on the order of the CP, Bolaji Salami.
But Ikoro, denied the allegation via a phone call, describing the allegation as unfounded, adding: “I am not aware of the withdrawal of the Police escort of the State Deputy Governor. This is not true.”
Meanwhile, Frank Mba, the force PRO also said to The ICIR that the report is not true and that the command has been consistence because there was a breakdown by the Ondo Police in a statement where they mentioned names and rank of policemen attached to the governor and the deputy.
Abeeb Alawiye formerly works with The ICIR as a Reporter/Social Media officer. Now work as a Senior Journalist with BBC News Yoruba. You can shoot him an email via [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @habsonfloww