Lagos based lawyer, Tope Alabi has demanded that Lagos High court strip Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Joseph Mbu from his office.
In a suit filed by the lawyer, Alabi wants the court to declare that Mbu has abused his office and doesn’t deserve to be a police officer.
“It is in the interest of justice to declare the first defendant unfit to be and to remain a police officer in Nigeria, considering his public conduct all the time and to declare his position and seat vacant and a replacement made without delay,” Mr. Alabi said in his court papers.
No date has been set for the hearing so far, but since the controversial AIG got appointed to be the AIG in charge of Zone 2, his remarks have been pretty controversial.
Mbu had last week instructed his men to be ready to return “fire for fire” against politicians during the elections.
“If one of my men is killed, I shall kill 20 of them but don’t shoot first. If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence,” Mr. Mbu said.
In 2014, had sued the Nigerian police, N200 million after Mr. Mbu banned their daily sit-ins to demand the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.
The police then had to drop the ban, for the suit to be dropped.
Alabi revealed that these acts by a serving member of the Nigerian Police are enough to declare his office vacant and replaced “without further delay.”
“A prayer urging the court to determine whether Mbu is fit and proper to remain in office considering his controversial utterances and ‘his public misconduct,’ and whether the lives of Nigerians are not in danger as long as Mbu remains in office,” Mr. Alabi stated in his court filings.
Mr. Alabi also wants a declaration that his life and those of other Nigerians are in danger as long as Mr. Mbu remains in office, and that their rights cannot be guaranteed unless Mr. Mbu is removed.
Mr. Mbu had also told his men to arrest any erring governor before, during, or after the election.
The lawyer urged the court to stop Mr. Mbu from giving that order in line with Section 308 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution.
He also prayed for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mr. Mbu from giving any orders during the March 28 and April 11 general elections.
Mr. Alabi said Mr. Mbu has no powers under the law to personally kill or direct officers under his control to kill innocent Nigerians in retaliation should any officer be attacked. According to him, by Mr. Mbu’s utterance, he has chosen to flout the laws he swore to uphold as his statement is “capable of inciting mass killings, violence and anarchy”.
Mr. Alabi recalled that Mr. Mbu served in Rivers State and in the Federal Capital Territory where he continued to violate the Constitution by exhibiting “intolerant and unlawful” behaviour.
The lawyer also noted that the Inspector-General of Police’s distancing of himself from Mr. Mbu’s latest utterance by reiterating that the mandate of the police is to “save and protect lives and not to kill” is a testament of his over-reaching of his powers.
In 2013, Mbu had engaged in a war of words with governor, Rotimi Amaechi over political differences, with Amaechi accusing him of an assassination plot.
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