The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has said that the withdrawal of Police Officers attached to 16 political parties is unjust, partial and anti-democratic, as this leaves them susceptible to kidnapping, assassination.
The CNPP Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, on Tuesday in Abuja faulted the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, who had recently ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to all Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country with immediate effect but retained those attached to government houses, President of the Senate and Speaker House of Representatives.
He said that the CNPP will not be worried if the withdrawal of police officers attached to all VIPs is universally implemented, with government houses, President of the Senate, Speaker House of Representatives, and businessmen denied security.
Ezugwu said, “But a situation where government houses, President of the Senate, Speaker House of Representatives, businessmen, and two of the 18 registered political parties, specifically, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have police officers attached to them, while 16 political parties were left without police protection is unacceptable,” he said.
“What justification does the Police authorities have to exempt 16 political parties out of 18 registered parties in Nigeria from police protection? Is it because the APC and PDP are very rich? When has security become an enterprise? Has it become a matter of cash to be secured?”
He therefore urged the IGP to urgently redress this anomaly and ensure that all political parties get equal police protection in view of the precarious security situation in the country.
