By Polycarp Auta
The Plateau House of Assembly has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Usman Baba, to review the decision to seal the secretariats of the state’s 17 Local Government.
Mr Ishaku Maren, the member representating Bokkos constituency, made the appeal in a news conference on Thurday in Jos.
Maren, who was in company of his nine colleagues, said that the IGP was misinformed on the actual situation on ground.
The lawmaker also accused the commissioner of police in the state, Bartholomew Onyeka, of taking side with the opposition party in the state.
”We believe that the IGP was misinformed; there is no threat to life or public infrastructure as insinuated.
”Most of the transition committee chairmen assumed their offices already without rancour and threat to the existing peace in the state.
”So, we call on the IGP to revisit his earlier order and reopen the secretariats of the local governments.
”We also call on the suspended chiarmen to seek redress using lawful channels rather than taking laws into their hands,” he said.
Onyeka has, however, said that the decision to seal up all the secretariats of the 17 local government areas was for the interest of peace and security, not personal.
”This action became necessary as a result of tensions around the leadership of the councils and the possible threat that supporters were posing to critical infrastructure, lives and properties.
”The decision to take this action is in accordance with our constitutional responsibility as the Nigeria Police Force, to ensure that the situation doesn’t degenerate,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Caleb Mutfwang had, on 1 June, suspended all democratic structures in the state’s 17 local government.
His action followed the recommendation of the Plateau House of Assembly.
Muftwang said that the suspension followed their inability to produce documents related to financial transactions as all efforts to make them produce them proved abortive.
He explained that the state government, after a careful study of the recommendations, resolved to suspend the chairpersons in order to conduct an efficient and proper investigation into their activities.(NAN)
