By Ebriku John Friday
A legal practitioner and indigene of Ogoja town, Barrister Baba Isa, has threatened to sue the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, and the Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, over alleged relocation of police project, 75 Police Mobile Squadron, allegedly sited in Ogoja to Obudu, all in Cross River State.
This was contained in a statement signed by Isa at the weekend alleging that the Ayade was behind the move of relocating the approved project to Obudu, where the Governor hails from.
According to him the contractor has mobilized to site for commencement of the project, which the Governor ordered them to stop work and move to Obudu for the project, despite Ogoja being name the project’s documents bare.
He said: “Recently, the Presidency and the Police Authorities approved the siting of the 75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS), Ogoja. In fact, all documents pertaining to this shows clearly that “Ogoja” is in the name of this project.
“In other words, it is not “75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS), Keffi” OR “75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS), Uyo” OR “75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS), Biase”; but clearly “75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS), Ogoja” that is in the documents. Thus, the intention is fixed and clear: the “75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS)”, is to be sited in Ogoja and nowhere else. We have all these documents in our custody.
“We got reports that immediately this approval was given to site this squadron in Ogoja certain political interests, led by and on the behest of Governor Benedict Ayade started a frantic secret campaign to move the siting of this squadron to Obudu.
“I don’t pretend to understand the politics behind this move and I also won’t pretend that this won’t be a harsh injustice to the Ogoja people in particular and Nigerians in general.
Barr First Baba Isa
“We heard that workers who have already been mobilised to site in Ogoja have been ordered to move to Obudu; it is alleged that this order to relocate the workers to Obudu was given after Governor Ayade visited the Inspector General of Police to persuade him to move the siting of the Squadron to Obudu.
“This is illegal. This cannot stand. This will not stand. Though my family house stands in Ogoja as a testament of my roots, this is not just about my origins, it is about justice and fairness, it is about truth. I’m not known to be sectional but when injustice becomes sectional, we will take our fight against it to those sections.
“We urge the Inspector General of Police and the powers that be to order those workers who are allegedly camped, right now, in a hotel in Obudu to return to site in Ogoja; let work continue in Ogoja. Let 75 Police Mobile Squadron (PMS), be built in Ogoja as stated in all the legal documents establishing that project.
“If not I will file a case against the Inspector General of Police, The Nigerian Police and the Governor of Cross River State in a court of competent jurisdiction! Let the right thing be done. Let the legal thing be done. Keep security far away from politics.”
He further alleged that powers that be must have assessed the security situation before deciding to site this squadron in Ogoja for the general improvement of the security architecture of the country, and it will be “a crying shame and massive illegality if the police cave in to political shenanigans to move the siting of this squadron to Obudu or anywhere for that matter, just because someone wants it to be so.”
