Group berates Police for laying siege on Peace Corps office

By Christiana Ekpa

The Nigerian Social Crusader and leader of ‘Our mumu don do’ campaigners Charles Oputa (Charly Boy), and his members has berated the Nigeria Police for continuously laying siege on the premises of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), after court judgements.
This was even as the Police, for the umpteenth times, prevented members of the PCN from taking possession of their National headquarters on Thursday.
Peace Corps office, which is located at number 57, Iya Abubakar Crescent, off Alex Ekwueme way, opposite Jabi Lake, Jabi, Abuja, has been under siege by the Police since February 28th, 2017, the day the premises was officially commissioned.
Despite different court orders given at Federal High Court, Abuja with the attendant letter from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Ibrahim Malami, that Police should obey the 2 subsisting court orders, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, has remained unperturbed.
The House of Representatives, had through its Committee on Public Petitions, on Tuesday, urged the Police to comply with court orders and the advice of the AGF.
As early as 10am on Thursday, officers of PCN under the leadership of the National Commandant, Amb (Dr.) Dickson Akoh, were ushered by the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Justice and Equity, to take possession of the office.
But they were firmly resisted by a detachment of well-armed Mobile Police officers from the FCT Command.
The Civil Society coalition led by Comrade Olayemi Success, said it was very ironical that, “same Police which was supposed to be enforcing law could not obey court orders, the AGF and the order of Nigerian parliament”.
He lambasted the cop for embarrassing the federal republic of Nigeria before the international community, which caused the recent rating of “Nigeria Police being the worst in the whole world”.
With the heavy reinforcement from the Police, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bello Sadiq, pleaded with the Corps to hold on while he continued to consult with the IGP, whom he said has final says on the office.
Sadiq also mandated an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Olumese Valentine, to mediate between the civil society and the cop, to ensure there was no altercations.
On his part, the Peace Corps Boss, Akoh, said, as peaceful people and law abiding organisation, his men would retire home while waiting for the response of the IGP.
Akoh said the office was rented for 3 years with N13.8m annual rent, adding that, the Police had already vandalised the premises and looted some valuables, as at the time they visited the office on Thursday.