Civil society groups and the family members of the police officers killed by soldiers during a clash between the police and soldiers in Badagry have called for the resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Hafis Ringim, over his comments on the incident. Ringim on Friday absolved members of the Nigerian Army from the gruesome murder of the former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Badagry Police Station, Mr Samuel Salihu, a Chief Superintendent of Police; the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), Mr Samson Okedusi, a Superintendent of Police; and Mr Taofeek Afolabi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, from the crime.He said anybody who had any proof linking any member of the Nigerian Army to the killings should come to him with such evidence.Ringim could not also give a good account of the policemen that was abducted by soldiers to their barracks on the night of the incident.Since the policemen were abducted at Badagry roundabout, nothing has been had about them, and their families are also worried.Some members of their families argued that the four policemen should be handed over to the police for prosecution if the soldiers knew that they were still alive.At the Lagos Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, where the corpses of the DPO and the DCO were laid in state yesterday, some civil society groups described the IG’s comment as that of a coward who was not prepared to defend the people who work under him. At the solemn ceremony which had few senior police officers in attendance, the Commissioner Police, Mr Yakubu Alkali was absent. The President of Africans for Human Rights International, Mr Afolabi Gbajumo, who spoke on behalf of others, asked: "Who killed them? He is supposed to take a courageous position. We do not know where he got his information. If he cannot handle the position and defend his men when duty calls, then he should resign."In an address by a member of the DCO’s family, Dr Michael Okedusi, he said the family would not succumb to intimidation, compromise or any other alternative to justice.He noted with sadness that the families had not heard anything from the police until recently when the IG said that the matter had been addressed.Okedusi said, "I want to ask the Inspector General of Police how it was addressed. Addressed without the culprits being arrested and prosecuted? Addressed in what form? Is it in the area of preventing future occurrence? Addressed by constituting a joint panel? We the families say no to all these plans to sweep the matter under the carpet. All we are asking for is an independent panel that will bring about justice, equity and fair play in all ramifications."We are calling on all human rights groups, both locally and internationally, to come to our aid and ensure that the soldiers involved in this heinous crime are brought to book. Likewise the policeman that fired first. The Presidency, the National Assembly and the National Judicial Commission should, as a matter of urgency, address this case once and for all. Enough is enough. The families will not fold their arms," he said.
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