By Egena Sunday Ode
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, on Wednesday revealed that the force is investigating individuals, including state governors, whose utterances may have incited citizens to riots in parts of the country over the naira redesign policy of the federal government.
Baba briefed newsmen alongside the Attorney General of Federation, Abubakar Malami, after a meeting of National Security Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The IGP said however that despite the investigation the police cannot prosecute the state chief executives because they enjoy immunity at the moment.
Recall that some governors led by the Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, had openly denigrated the Buhari policy, asking their citizens not to comply with the expiration of the legality of the old N500 and N1000.
The aggrieved governors did not stop at making reckless utterances, they have, in addition, dragged the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the matter, asking that the new naira policy should be reversed.
In league with El Rufai are, the governors of Kano, Lagos, Ondo, Zamfara, Katsina, Kogi and Niger among others.
Asked why the governors had not been cautioned, the Police boss stated: “We all know why, unless you want to hear from the mouth of the Attorney General. We are investigating, we are investigating. Whoever does anything can be investigated.
“But for him to be prosecuted, there are some people who have immunity. I think that is some of the reasons. But that will not stop us cautioning them, from warning them, from advising them, and we are doing so. That’s for the incitement by governors.”
The IGP also explained that the deployment of security personnel in the streets of Lagos and Ogun states was to ensure that the states were stabilized before the election, owing to the disturbances over the naira swap policy that occurred in the two states.
