A leader of the Labour Party, and human rights defender, Chief (Dr) Patrick Eholor has decried what he termed the deliberate scarification of men of the Nigerian police to assassins across the country.
Eholor in a video interview, was reacting to the recent attacks on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah in Anambra State, where six officers lost their lives, as well as yesterday’s attack on Apostle Johnson Suleman, where four police men were killed alongside two civilians.
Eholor said the deaths were avoidable, as the officers were compelled by their superiors to be hired as private security for the BIPs they protect.
According to him, it is preposterous for several different the Inspector General of Police to make public statements that they have withdrawn officers from VIPs, without taking action.
He stated that its unfortunate that officers who should have been doing legitimate jobs protecting the citizens are forced to serve one man and die daily to bullets not meant for them.
While sympathizing with families of those who lost their lives, he equally advised Apostle Suleman to tell the police what he knows regarding those who have been trying to kill him since 2017.
His words “I sympathize with the dead and the injured in the attack of Apostle Johnson Suleiman. It’s a day of sober reflection.
I sympathize with the members of the police force, for this avoidable incident. I also sympathize with the followers who blindly follow pastors.
A lot of us don’t know what is going on, and these things started since 2017, and I urge the police to invite and question him, to speak on what exactly happened. We do not expect this thing to happen again, too many have died. We know he is a man of God, but if he doesn’t want to call names, then Nigerians, the bereaved, the Federal Government should be able to ask him privately, who are the suspects?
I also want to say to the IG, if you cannot trust the messenger, you cannot trust the message.
Different police IGs have said numerous times that they are going to withdraw police officers attached to VIPs.
Nigeria has less than 300 thousand police officers, and by United Nations standard, we need more officers to protect the people. It should not be that more I can afford to give the IG and the Commissioner, the more officers they are wiling to sacrifice. We wasted 6 lives, and 6 were also killed in the Ifeanyi Ubah incident in Anambra. We cannot afford to lose more.
I therefore challenge the Inspector General of Police, after this sober reflection, he should live by his words with politicians, with pastors, with every other person.
We are Nigerians and deserve the right of protection. It is now clear that pastors give people stickers, but they use bullet proof cars. That is deceit. We all deserve to be protected, not just the VIPs, because the government has pledged to protect lives and property.