Senate President Bukola Saraki says Nigerians should hold Ibrahim Idris, inspector general of police, responsible if anything happens to him.
Saraki said this on Friday while speaking with journalists at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign headquarters in Abuja.
He accused the IGP of trying to implicate him in criminal charges. “The usual practice has been that the commissioner of police personally ensures the security of the senate president whenever he visits his home state. That was the practice during the period of my predecessor and in my first year in office.
“We need to make it clear to the entire world that now that ward to ward campaigns is about to begin in the state and I am set to participate in that grassroots campaign as I have always done, nobody is sure what instructions Mr. Idris has given to the police command in the state. Thus, the entire world should hold the IGP responsible if anything untoward happens to members of my family and myself.
“Do not forget that before now, this same IGP has tried several tricks to implicate me in some criminal charges. First, he arrested some cultists and was about to compel them to claim they worked for me. We exposed the trick early enough and the media also pointed out holes in his story. He quickly withdrew that.
“Later, he went on to the Offa robbery case and politicised the investigation in order to rope me. In the process of forcing suspects to implicate me, the principal suspect died in their custody. He has also not succeeded with that plot. Who knows what else he may have planned? Now, that full campaign is on, which requires my going round, I want the world to hold him personally responsible if anything happens to me.”
Saraki also accused the force of showing “undisguised hostility” towards him and his supporters and giving cover to people who are unleashing violence on the state.
The senate president said the IGP does not believe that his job is to protect all Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliation.
“I call you today to bring to your attention the sad development in my home state, Kwara state, and the role of the security agencies in giving cover to people who are unleashing violence on our people because they are surprised and cannot understand how and why the people continue to give massive and overwhelming support to the PDP across the state,” he said.
“The police have continued to show undisguised hostility to me and my supporters in Kwara state and this latest round of violence is part of efforts to jeopardise and undermine my personal security and that of my immediate and larger family.”