Senator-elect, Barr. Onyekachi Nwaebonyi representing Ebonyi North senatorial zone, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba to end police extortion or resign from office.
The senator-elect gave this warning on Sunday in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state, while calling on Baba to resign as the IGP if he will not stop the extortion at checkpoints within seven days.
Nwaebonyi lamented that corruption and extortion has become the order of the day for the uniform men across the country.
“Even at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, policemen will stop you, instead of searching what you have, they will be interested in how much you will give them. Sometimes, if you give them one thousand naira, they will go and get your balance for you.
“They will charge you any amount of money they want you to pay, based on your personal assessment. These are one of the areas we are going to address at the 10th National Assembly. This nonsense can’t continue. Nigeria is not a Banana republic. This is a federation. And we have the rule of law.
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“If the Nigerian government should engage Nigeria police to collect taxes on the road, it should be formalized. We can’t continue to keep quiet. It shouldn’t continue.
“This is a broad day robbery of innocent Nigerians. And we big men will come and they (police) will clear us and we will pass. But the ordinary people will be there and be robbed with guns. What a country? Nigeria is the giant of Africa. It can’t continue,” he decried.
He also added that the 10th National Assembly will summon Baba when it is inaugurated to defend himself and other police officers.
The lawmaker-elect also claimed to have video evidence of over one hundred of these extortions going on.
He continued, “We will give him (IGP) this poser, can’t this stop? If it can’t stop within seven (7) days, he should leave the office. He is not qualified to be Inspector General of Police.
“We will tell ourselves the truth. The Angels will not come down to reshape this country, it is we, ourselves will do it. The right thing must be done.”