He also justified his boss refusal to honor the Senate’s invitation with the argument that the key issues for which Mr. Idris was summoned for related to the criminal trial of Senator Dino Melaye, which is already in court.
Mr. David Igbodo, the legal adviser to the Nigeria Police Force said the declaration of Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, as ‘enemy of democracy’ by the Senate on Wednesday will be challenged in court.
Igbodo, a commissioner of police said this while speaking of Channels Television's breakfast programme, Sunrise, on the declaration made by the Senate after the Inspector General of Police repeatedly failed to honor the invitation of the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
The Police legal adviser also said Mr. Idris should be commended for his contributions to the development of Nigeria’s democracy rather than being declared as the enemy
He added that Inspector General of Police respects due process, even as he also refuted the allegations that the police chief had in the past disobeyed instructions of President Muhammadu Buhari to go to Benue at the height of killings of villages in the State by Fulani herdsmen.
The legal adviser claimed that IGP stayed in Benue state for five days and only moved to Nassarawa when he got information that the group carrying out the killings were from the neighboring state.
He also said the IGP has appeared before the senate over 10 times since he was appointed in 2016 and therefore, cannot be said to be disrespectful of the lawmakers.
The police commissioner defended the decision of Mr. Idris to send a Deputy Inspector General to represent him when the Senate summoned him as he argued that official functions of the IGP can be performed by the DIG or Assistant Inspector General of Police.
He also justified his boss refusal to honor the Senate’s invitation with the argument that the key issues for which Mr. Idris was summoned for related to the criminal trial of Senator Dino Melaye, which is already in court.
He argued that the Senate lacks the power to summon anybody over a matter, which is already a subject of a court proceeding.