Ishola Michael – Bauchi
Bauchi state Police Command has explained the reason it ordered the arrest of a 45-year-old APC member representing Bauchi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi popularly known as ‘Yakubu Wowo”.
Recall that the Police Command had on Tuesday, declared the Federal Lawmaker wanted for alleged criminal conspiracy, disturbance of public peace and culpable homicide.
Clarifying the situation while speaking with Journalists in his office on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police, CP Aminu Alhassan said that the lawmaker is not immune to arrest based on criminal allegations levelled against him.
Aminu Alhassan was reacting to allegation made by the immediate past Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, that the Police did not follow due process in ordering his arrest.
He said that the Police is not partisan when it comes to issues of activities of political parties, stressing that the Police in the state is not supporting any candidate of any political party to win the gubernatorial election.
The Police Commissioner also said that he has no preferred gubernatorial candidate of the three main political parties contesting the governorship seat, adding that he is a friend to all of them.
The Commissioner of police said that following the violence that erupted at the Governor’s hometown at Duguri Town in Alkaleri local government that left one person dead with 15 others injured, the Police in the state commenced its investigation into the incidence because four prominent politicians were indicted in the matter.
According to him, “In all fairness to everybody, a day after the incidence that happened late in the evening. Before the death of one of the victims of the shooting, I was more or less in touch with those in the APC. Their complaint was that some persons were gathering elsewhere in Bauchi to attack them, I repelled it by sending Policemen to escort them to wherever they were going to.”
He added that “When we heard that somebody died and all accusing fingers were pointing at four prominent persons in that group, we had to start looking for them, honestly, one of the fastest ways of getting any information, is to first talk to the stakeholders. I told the APC that I will need at least two major stakeholders in the state and they assured me that they were coming.”
Aminu Alhassan further said that “Late in the evening, I had to contact them through my phone, even sent message to them that these are the people I needed because allegations were going on, I even sent pictures of allegations being made from left and right and we, the Police, we cannot rely on allegations without clearing it”.
“Later, I was told by the stakeholders I contacted that they could not get to Honourable Yakubu, so I told them clean and clear that I am not waiting for them to bring Yakubu and Bakaro to me, I am going out to arrest them. I told them not to feel slighted, I then sent my operatives to sneak into every nook and crannies where these people are, but on hearing that I was looking for them, they all ran out of Bauchi,” he said.
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