Police PRO and Governor Ortom

WHATEVER  anyone may think of the merits of the respective positions of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Jimoh Moshood, on the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) handling of the killings in the state by Fulani herdsmen, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the police spokesperson’s comments went beyond the pale.

Apparently irritated by the governor’s earlier call on the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, to resign if he could not ensure the security of lives and properties  in  Benue State, Moshood responded: “We don’t join issues with a drowning man; Governor Ortom is a drowning man.” Pressed by the host of the Channels TV programme on which he was a guest to withdraw his statement, the police PRO stood his ground: “I will not withdraw for the purpose of this discussion because he called my IGP incompetent.”

It is evident from these statements that officer Moshood is devoted to his boss. There is nothing wrong with that. And as a matter of fact, we would be surprised if he was not. However, allegiance to one’s superior can be easily maintained without slipping into a crass dismissal of the Chief Executive of a state. The line between the two is as bright as day versus night, and we are deeply worried at the casualness with which officer Moshood transgressed it. Worse still, we are saddened at his intransigence in refusing to vacate a clearly untenable position, and his lack of remorse since the original statement. It is never too late to do the right thing, and we urge the police spokesperson to eat the humble pie and apologise to the governor.

In recommending this course of action, we pitch our tent with concerned members of the public who have expressed their regrets at this unfortunate development. For instance, describing his statement as “unprofessional and unfortunate,” a  Makurdi-based civil society group, #IstandWithOrtom, has demanded an apology from the police PRO. Similarly, Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has urged officer Moshood to retract his statement, calling it an insult on all the governors of Nigeria. For the governor, the statement is evidence “that the police has turned itself into an organ of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, acting as if its only duty is to protect the interests of President Muhammadu Buhari and his allies.”

Whatever officer Moshood decides to do eventually, the real tragedy is that his statement has detracted from what should occupy the attention of every concerned Nigerian—the plight of the people of Benue State and how to protect them from future attacks by deadly herdsmen. The dire security situation in the state (since 2013, more than 50 attacks linked to Fulani herdsmen have been reported in Benue and neighbouring states) is what Governor Ortom was attempting to focus the spotlight on with his initial comments directed at the IGP. While the police PRO’s unfortunate statement is a reminder of the dearth of common civility in our national discourse, the real matter of life and death is the safety of ordinary citizens of Benue State.

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