The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has ordered a full investigation into the alleged shooting of Senator Magnus Abe with a rubber bullet and/or tear gas cannisters by the Rivers State Police.
Abe was shot during a rally in Port Harcourt two weeks ago and is currently hospitalized in London.
The Inspector General in a statement said he was carrying out the investigation in order to ensure equity and justice for all parties involved.
Several groups had condemned the action of the Rivers State Police Command and stated that the Police may be asked to vacate their jurisdiction if similar instances prevailed.
Police spokesperson, Frank Mba said the IG had deployed crack investigators from Force Headquarters headed by a Commissioner of Police, Idris Farouk to visit Port Harcourt and interview all the parties including the organizers, police officers and other eyewitnesses.
The statement reads, “The IG calls on the citizens of the state to cooperate with the investigative team, maintain calm and shun all inflammatory or presumptuous statements.
“He further urged the good people of Rivers State to continue to respect the laws of the land while going about their normal businesses.”
In a related development Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, slammed Commisioner Joseph Mbu for saying that the organizers failed to secure a police permit to hold the rally.
He said the Supreme Court of Nigeria had ruled many years ago that a police permit was not needed to rally in the country.
Gbajabiamila said in a statement issued in Abuja that, “The Supreme Court years ago ruled that police permit is not required for a rally.
“So, all this talk from the Rivers State Commissioner of Police about permit is balderdash.”