• PANDEF, NLEF flay police raid of Clark’s Abuja residence
By Kelvin
Ebiri
Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) yesterday raided the
Abuja residence of former Federal Commissioner for Information and elder
statesman, Chief Edwin Clark. The policemen, who arrived the residence between
12:30 and 1pm, searched the house for over two hours without finding anything
incriminating in the residence.
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Chief Edwin Clark |
Speaking to The
Guardian yesterday, 91 year-old Clark, said the police, who claimed to possess
a search warrant from the court, searched his house for stockpiling weapons and
ammunition for the Niger Delta region.
Describing the
incident as embarrassing and unfair, Clark disclosed that his secretary who was
away in the bank was recalled to enable the security operatives to conduct the
search.
b Recounting the
incident, he said: “They searched everywhere in my house for two hours; even my
secretary who went to the bank was recalled so that they could search my room
and office because they were locked.”
In its reaction, the
Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) denounced the invasion of Clark’s home.National
Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Anabs Sara-igbe, said the Police action was
despicable and unnecessary.
“PANDEF condemns in
the action and assault on our over 91 year-old leader and elder statesman, who
has contributed to the development of Nigeria in several ways including
restoring peace in the Niger Delta,” he said.
The group, therefore,
urged the presidency to call the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to order
forth with. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Leaders and Elders Forum (NLEF) also
condemned the police raid on Clark’s home.
The forum said the
action demands immediate apology to Clark by the Nigerian Police whose
leadership at the moment, it claimed has shown serial unprofessional conducts
and dark age policing.
Spokesmen of the
forum, Yinka Odumakin (Southwest), Professor Chigozie Ogbu (Ohanaeze), Isuwa
Dogo (Middle Belt), Junaid Mohammed (Northern Elders Forum) and Bassey Henshaw
(PANDEF) in a statement yesterday said the Nigeria elders were shocked at the
raid on Clark’s home over spurious allegations that arms and ammunition had
been stockpiled at his residence.
The forum said the
invasion of the former minister’s home was the worst sign that Nigeria was
becoming a police state, saying in the end, the police could not find more than
a kitchen knife regularly used to slice tomatoes and onions.
However, Inspector General
of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has ordered the arrest of the four policemen,
who carried out the raid Clark’s residence.Spokesman of the police force,
Moshood Jimoh, noted that the IGP was not aware of the raid on Clark’s home by
some police detectives.
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