By Sadiq Umar – The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday set up a 7-member ad hoc to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over an alleged plot by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to implicate him and the government of Kwara state.
The decision followed an alarm raised by Senate President, Bukola Saraki that the police authorities have devised a plan to frame him up.
According to the Senate President, the police have ordered the transfer of some cultists arrested in Ilorin to Abuja where their statements would be altered to implicate him and the state government.
The Senate President made the claims while presiding over plenary on Wednesday, saying the information was passed to him by the governor of Kwara state, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
“Last night, my state governor, revealed to me an information at his disposal that a group of suspects who have been arrested in our state for cultism, whose investigation has been completed and were about to be under prosecution under the state law on the advise of the ministry of justice, all of a sudden were ordered to be transferred to Abuja this morning,” Saraki said.
“The information reaching him from the commissioner of police that they have been directed by IGP to bring them to Abuja. With the information that he has, they would find how to alter their statement already made in Ilorin and try and implicate the state government and particularly myself. I feel that as we speak now, these suspects are already here in Abuja.
“These acts I don’t know whether to call it desperation or intimidation, all actions to undermine our democracy, a recipe for anarchy because we are doing our work by asking officials to obey the law, due process and subject themselves to constituted authority.
“I think it is important to call your attention to this dangerous development. The impunity happening in this country is a danger to our democracy.”
The senate resolved that a committee be set up to me with Mr. Buhari following argument by senator Kabiru Marafa that the president not be in the know of some of the actions of his appointees.
Mr. Marafa argued that rather than setting up a committee to investigate the matter as suggested by his colleagues, an ad hoc committee should be set up to meet directly with the president to enable them table before him other related matters.
The IGP refused to honour the invitation of the senate on three separate occasions. In anger, the upper legislative chamber branded him an enemy of democracy, saying he is unfit to hold any public office.
