A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria has called for the immediate redeployment of the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde.
Development Diaries reports that the CSOs accused Barde of partisanship and other unprofessional conduct.
The group of CSO includes the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF), Better Life Community Initiative (BECOLIN), International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre (IPCRC), PMNeighbourhood Initiative for Women Advancement (NIWA), and Initiative for Safety, Security and Educational Development in Nigeria Network.
Others are Foundation For Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention, Grassroots Democracy Network, African Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), and Difference Newspapers.
In a statement, they also asked that Barde be investigated for his alleged role in bloodletting in Imo State.
‘Mohammed Ahmed Barde Commissioner of Police, Imo State Police Command, Should be redeployed from Imo State and investigated for presiding over rogue policing as CP Imo and for his partisanship, superintending over electoral violence and misconduct during the Adamawa governorship election’, the statement read in part.
‘Barde also displayed partisanship during the presidential and House of Assembly elections in Imo in utter violation of the standard operational guidelines for law enforcement agents on election duty.
‘That a CP, who was detailed to ensure electoral security in a state could be withdrawn midway from that state, owing to his involvement in electoral crimes and malfeasance, which undermined the process, speaks volumes’.
Accusing Barde of being a hatchet man for the Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma, the CSOs noted that some police officers in Imo under Barde had been implicated in several unprofessional and criminal conducts.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently ordered the immediate investigation and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
Buhari also directed the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to commence an immediate investigation into the roles played by their officers and men in the supplementary election fiasco.
The suspended Adamawa REC breached the election results collation process by announcing the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, as the winner.
It is understood that he worked with senior security operatives to contravene the Electoral Act 2022, which places the responsibility for announcing results on the Returning Office.
