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Death threat : Security beefed up around police
minister, IGP, PSC boss
MALACHY UZENDU,
Abuja
SECURITY has been
beefed up for Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Simon
Nsobundu Okeke as well as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Tafa
Balogun, who were reported to have been inundated with an alleged plot to
eliminate them.
Similarly, the contingent of armed
security personnel attached to the Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick
Bozimo, has also been strengthened to forestall any attempt on his life.
Last week, the PSC chairman alerted the
nation on an alleged plot by a faceless group of police inspectors and the rank
and file to attack and kill the trio should government fail to meet their
demand.
The group, in their letter of threat which
ultimatum expires next month, claimed that they had been shortchanged by the
police authorities which, among other things, had denied them promotion for over
20 years and had not paid them appropriate salaries and other emoluments.
According to the PSC chairman in a
statement signed by Chief Information Officer of the Commission, Mr. Anietie
Etiebet, the alleged masterminds are "Inspector Kelechi Oche as chairman and
Sergeant Ejiofor Ukem as secretary.
In the threat letter, according to the PSC
chairman, the group had issued a six-point demand, which they insisted must be
met within three months failing which the three listed top government officials
stand the risk of being killed.
Okeke said the group demanded their
immediate resignation if there existed any reasons why their demands could not
be met, adding that the group "claimed that representatives of the rank and file
and inspectors met in Enugu, Enugu State and resolved to make the demands and
issue the threats."
"The group had also demanded that issues
of their promotion should be addressed without further delay and that every rank
and file who had served for 20 years and above should be promoted to the rank of
inspector with immediate effect.
"Similarly, they demanded that police
salary should be reversed to that of the federal government level and arrears be
paid right from when they brought in Police Salary Scale (PSS) to cheat the rank
and file and inspectors.
"The group stated in the letter that from
1st day, of August, 2004, if the above problems are not solved ‘to our
satisfaction’ nobody would embark on nationwide strike again, rather secret
killings," he said.
Chief Okeke equally stated that the group
had demanded the recall of all policemen dismissed as a result of the police
strike in 2002, stressing that "their salary arrears should be paid to them"
without further delay.
Following the development, the Police High
Command immediately beefed up security around the top officials.
It was gathered that an extra number of
mobile policemen and intelligence personnel were drafted to the affected
officers immediately after an emergency meeting of police top management
agencies in Abuja over the weekend.
Force spokesman, Deputy Commissioner of
Police (DCP), Chris Olakpe, when contacted, said he was not even aware of the
purported threat letters.
He, however, stated that "the Police have
always tried its best to provide security to every part of the country as well
as provide security to VIPs, vulnerable places and vulnerable points".
Unusual presence of security operatives
was noticed around the PSC chairman, the IGP and the minister immediately after
last week’s disclosure of the death threat by Chief Okeke himself.
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