The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sulaiman Abba, has warned politicians that the police will deal with anyone that thinks he is above the law.
The IG represented by the Commissioner of Police (Election Planning and Monitoring), Mr. Ghazzali Muhammed, made this statement during a training workshop for security personnel that would participate in the February elections yesterday.
He said “We are going to deal with anybody that thinks he is above the law. That is why we say politicians should obey the rule of law. If you (political actors) commit any offence, the agencies here will go back and ensure they cascade what they have learnt here today and you will be arrested and dealt with accordingly; because politicians should play by the rules.
“The only thing is that we are going to deal with anybody that thinks he is above the law. All we are saying is that politicians should obey the rule of the law. We are to make sure that we secure the area as the leading agency for election. We have nothing else to say, other than for them to obey the rule of the law. If they (politicians) don’t obey the rule of the law, we will deal with them in accordance with the law.”
Also reacting to allegations that the Police is partisan, he said “The police can never be partisan, that is why we are here as the leading agency to ensure that we secure the area. If they want the police to be partisan, they (police) would not have been called to ensure the security of election areas. All those that are voting have the party they want to vote for. We are just there to ensure that there is law and order and that every stakeholder plays by the rules.”