• 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.

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.