THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has set up a team of detectives and experts to conduct forensic analysis on the audio report purported to be the voice of the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, on the recently-concluded legislative election in the state.
The governor was purported in the audio release to have threatened to kill electoral officials who collected money from him without doing his bidding.
National chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmud, also raised 70 incidents which he said tended to derail the 10th December rerun elections.
The police investigative team was equally mandated to conduct a thorough investigation into the incidents mentioned by the INEC chairman with a view to unravelling those directly or indirectly responsible for such incidents and bring them to justice.
The investigative team which has 30 days to complete the investigation and submit report is headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police.
A statement from the Force Headquarters which disclosed this urged the government of Rivers State and INEC to avail the investigative team with facts at their disposal and grant them the desired cooperation and assistance to achieve a comprehensive and conclusive investigation.
It also called election observers, civil society groups, human rights watchers and other stakeholders to assist the team with information they may have.
“The Nigeria Police Force is committed to enthroning the principles of democratic policing and ensure that the IGP’s master plan on election security takes hold in Nigeria in accordance with international best practices and core value of policing with integrity,” the statement noted.
But in a reaction, the state governor, Nyesom Wike, through the Commissioner for Information, Dr Austin Tam-George, said that “the state government does not have confidence in the police to conduct an independent investigation.”
He said although “the state government does not oppose investigations, only an independent investigation can achieve results.”
George said the state government would prefer an independent investigation of all issues.
“We want an independent inquiry. We don’t have confidence In the police to conduct an independent inquiry,” he said, adding that “the police should not only investigate the audio, but also the video recording that was made public days before the audio became public.”
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