THE Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has criticised call for the redeployment of Police Commissioners in the South-East, saying it is not only unconstitutional but also unhealthy in a federal system.

  Igbo leaders, under the aegis of Igbo Leaders of Thought, led by constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, had after their security meeting in Enugu on Tuesday, called for the redeployment of the five police commissioners with their indigenous counterparts from the zone following alleged reports of infiltration and shielding of Boko Haram members in the zone.

  The leaders, who had said the alleged infiltration was real, stated that they were no longer comfortable with the idea of allowing the five states to be policed by non-indigenous commissioners.

 Reacting to the call by the Igbo leaders in a statement in Enugu yesterday, CLO said for the nation to move forward, “we should eschew tribalism and advocate for true federalism and equality of all Nigerians before the law”.

  The statement, signed by the Zonal Director of CLO, Olu Omotayo, added: “Section 214(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, which established the Nigeria Police Force, states: ‘There shall be a Police Force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other Police Force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof’;

 “Sub-section (2a) of the above-mentioned section further states that: “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Nigeria Police Force shall be organised as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly’. It should be noted that by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution, the organisation and administration of the Police Force shall be in accordance with the provision of the Police Act, which is the Act of the National Assembly governing the

Nigeria Police Force. The provisions clearly state that the organisation and administration of the Police Force shall be in accordance with the law”.

  CLO continued: “The call by an organisation for the removal of Commissioners of Police in the five South-East states is not only unconstitutional but also unhealthy in a federal system of government.

 “The practice over the years is to see an Ibo man or Yoruba man heading Police Commands in the North while the northerners head Police Commands in the South-East or South-West.

  “The only reason put forward by the organisation canvassing for the removal of these Commissioners of Police are that they are of Hausa/Fulani extraction. It is our strong belief that for this nation to move forward, we should eschew tribal sentiments and advocate for true federalism and equality of all Nigerians before the law”.

 CLO argued that the zone had been “enjoying peace and security based on the effective operation of the Police in the South-East”, adding that “This type of demand is like turning the hand of development and provision of adequate security anti-clockwise”.

  “Unless the proponents of this ideology want to create a state of insecurity in the South-East, the call made by them is a threat to the peaceful coexistence of the citizens of this country viz a vis their peaceful relationship with the Police and the security agencies.

  “We should all advocate for reforms in the Police to bring the Police Force to the standard obtainable in the developed societies but not this type of reform on ethnic or tribal ground”, CLO said.