The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the return of policemen to the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC).
The IGP, however, did not return those assisting the commission in the ongoing investigation and prosecution of former Kano State governor and national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje.
The IGP had earlier ordered the withdrawal of all policemen from the PCACC over some undisclosed reasons.
The withdrawal of the officers coincides with ongoing probe on the multimillion-naira fraud allegations against Ganduje by the Kano State Government.
A source alleged that the affected policemen were providing security to the commission’s headquarters and other seized properties under investigation.
“This is truly lamentable. The commission is now vulnerable. Our offence is investigating the corruption of the national chairman of the APC,” the source said.
“It is ironic that the same police that withdrew security around the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, have beefed up security around Ganduje to prevent the commission from arresting him.
“After that, they now have the temerity to withdraw security from the anti-corruption commission.”
But a statement issued by the Kano Police Command spokesman, Abdullahi Kiyawaon Friday, said the operatives were earlier withdrawn for routine staff audit.
Kiyawaon also said the exercise was a result of a series of complaints of highhandedness against the policeman attached to the commission.
The statement read: “Recalled that April 25, 2024, the Kano State Police Command had recalled Police Officers posted to Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission,PCACC, with view to conducting staff audit aimed at ascertaining the exact number of police officers seconded to the commission as well as to understand the reporting line and nature of duties each police officer is performing since their initial deployment to the commission in the year 2015.
“The exercise was simply a response to series of reports received through the command’s complaint response unit,CRU, portraying policemen attached to the Commission as being highhanded and deviating from the expected role of providing static guard and other duties at the Commission.
“For purposes of clarity, members of the public are to note that the object of the ongoing staff audit is basically to address the litany of complaints as reported by sections of the media.
“The action further became imperative, so as to correct the obvious anomalies in the operations of the Commission, as police officers primarily deployed to static guards and other duties were being use to effect arrest and investigations of cases, which clearly is a deviation from their originally assigned mandate of which this position must be corrected.
“In totality, the step is towards ensuring a better and effective service delivery by the policemen devoid of abuse of process in the interest of the people.
“It will be recalled that similar exercises were conducted in the past from the inception of the Commission in the year 2015, and the men were returned at the conclusion of such exercises.
“Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police has approved the immediate return of a number of police officers, providing guards at the commission’s office, who have gone through the audit process to continue with their duties.
“It is nevertheless the position of the Command that should the Commission require more policemen for other duties than what has been expressly approved by the IGP, the Commission should apply to IGP for approval so that there shall be the deployment of professional personnel such as investigators, prosecutors, and alike be appropriately seconded to it.
“Members of the public are thus enjoined to disregard the current perception being portrayed by a section of the media that aligned the objective to political witch-hunting, as the Police Command will ever remain professional and keep performing its statutory roles of protecting lives and property of all people according to the provisions of the extant laws of the country.”
