Surfing the internet this morning, a part of my daily routine, I came across several interesting stories across the country, ranging from "Five Osborne Towers VIP Tenants under EFCC Probe" by The Nation, I.G Orders dismantling of Illegal Revenue Roadblock Nationwide" by The Nation, "2019: Dogara Urges INEC To Begin Constituency Delineation" by Vanguard, "Looters have More Money than all tiers of Government - FG" by Punch, "Group lays grievous allegation against Delta Police Commissioner, Insist He supervises his men in extortion business" by NAIJ.com and "My father not afraid to give up the throne - Sanusi's daughter" by Vanguard etc.
Sorry I didn't have to go to Sport news, because am not a Sport fan, hope I didn't disappoint you?
As interesting as most of the headlines are, dissecting through the Osborne Towers Million Dollars Question, Politics of 2019, the fallout of Emir Sanusi lecture, Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Government Anti-corruption War Etc.
From the above headlines, the one that caught my attention the most is the one by NAIJ.com, an online News Platform, with the title "Group lays grievous allegation against Delta Police Commissioner, insist he supervises his men in extortion business".
From the above, it is only natural and in fulfilment of natural law of justice that I put this forward as someone leading an organization that have overtime had a close contact with this quintessential gentleman; CP. Ibrahim Zanna, leading the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State Command and also most importantly, a resident of Asaba, capital of Delta State.
Carefully perusing the outburst by CDHR Delta Chapter as published by NAIJ.com, you will observe that the allegation against the Delta Commissioner of Police is nothing more than a personal vendetta, which must be discouraged by all sane mind in the society.
Ordinarily, I would have let go of this, but just as Albert Einstein noted that "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything”, and also in strict adherence to Rev. Desmond Tutu, who stated that; "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor", hence I wouldn't just be doing myself a great disservice but also the generation yet unborn, if we don't tell the world the other side of the story.
There is no doubt, there may exist bad eggs in the Force, but lumping the Commissioner of Police into it, a man who has taken policing to an enviable height in the State is not only wickedness by the accuser but a story that cannot stand the test of time.
Is it not outrageous that an act, that was supposedly committed in a community is been generalized to mean the whole of the State. The accuser no doubt is guilty of "Secundum Quid", a fallacy of Hasty Generalization.
As someone who is committed to fighting crime, the CDHR Chairman, ought to have supplied the necessary evidence of the officer caught in the crime to the Commissioner and I do know, the Commissioner of Police would have immediately swong into action to investigate the officer and if found guilty, appropriate punishment would have been applied.
This is the right thing to do, instead of rushing to the media to malign and cast aspersion on the personality of the commissioner, who is a thorough bred Security Czar.
Recalling the statement of the CDHR Chairman, wherein he stated inter alia; "... We wrote letters to the present Police Commissioner, he shunned the letters, he did not give it any thought. On the last day we had the last State wide rally in Asaba, we wanted to see him, we called him, he refused to pick our calls".
Are you now thinking what am thinking, or do we need a Prophet to tell us where this mudsliding is coming from? From the above statement credited to the CDHR Chairman, it is crystal clear that the allegation against the Commissioner of Police is an after thought, to malign and blackmail the Commissioner, a clear case of personal vendetta as I earlier noted for not picking their calls that very day, undermining the fact that the Commissioner of Police might have been in a high powered Security Council meeting or be involved in a very important security operation, which is first and foremost the reason he is in the State.
No doubt the CDHR have been doing their best in Human Rights issues in the State, hence I will advice they visit the Commissioner's Office as a progressive partners and see things by themselves, as CP. Ibrahim Zanna operates an open door policy. There is absolutely no day his office reception does not get filled to the brim.
On Human Rights, the Commissioner of Police since assumption of office in Delta State, on regular basis engages in an interactive session with men of the Force on the need to police inline with International Best Practices, which has the respect for Human Rights at the top of the radar.
This is evidenced in the near zero level confrontation between the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Students, since the assumption of office by CP. Ibrahim Zanna in Delta State Command.
It is only important all progressive groups/organisations at this point appreciates a man, who has indeed up the Human Rights profile of Nigeria Police Force in the State, instead of engaging in mudsliding, blackmail, wicked propaganda in order to defame a man on the alter of personal ego.
I wouldn't be delving into how the fight against cultism and kidnapping, communal crisis and crime rate, has drastically reduced in the State today, as this maybe for another day.
Let me quickly conclude in the spirit of the season, by urging Nigerians to at all time uphold the truth, as the TRUTH remains the Ultimate principle in living a Progressive life.
By Pedro Chibuzo Obi,
He is the Coordinator of National Association of Nigerian Students - NANS (South South & South East Nigeria)
Can be reached via;
Tel: +2348062467312
Twitter: @pedrochibuzoobi
E_mail: pedrochibuzo@gmail.com
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