You lack power to proscribe us – Peace Corps tells Police

By Christiana Ekpa

Peace Corps of Nigerian, yesterday debunked what it described as malicious allegation by Nigeria Police that the organization (PCN) was proscribed by the Federal Government Gazette in 2013, even as it challenged the Force that, it has no power of proscription.
The Force Public Relations Officer Jimoh Moshood on Tuesday issued a statement to the effect that police will not obey the orders of the court on the ground that it will file notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Addressing news men in Abuja on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer of the PCN, Millicent Umoru, said the proscription of the Corps that Moshood alluded to was a mere pronouncement by the Police, which is a grand conspiracy between the then National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), who is currently undergoing trial for massive looting of the treasury and the then inspector General of Police.
She stressed that, the pronouncement was duly challenged in the Court of law, where His Lordship Justice Ibrahim Auta the then Chief Judge of the Federal High Court declared it a nullity and gave the Police a stern warning never to do such or even make reference to it again.
“That the Court therefore find that the action of he 1st and 2nd Defendants are unconstitutional and illegal in that no Court order was obtained before the said organization was proscribed;
“That an order is being made that the purported proscription of the 1st Applicant by the 4th Respondents conveyed in her press statement of October 3rd, 2009 and subsequent directive of January 27th 2010 by the 1st Respondent confirming the ban placed on the What the Respondents, whether by themselves, their agents, privies and servants are restrained from prescribing, harassing intimidating the applicants and it members in any manner whatsoever and however”.
She said the police PRO went ahead to issue a press statement a day after Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja delivered his judgment turning the “ill-motivated” request to seal the office of the Peace Corps and even went further to order them (Police) to unseal the building.