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Tinubu lauds Buhari on plans to make June 12 Democracy Day

By Adaku Onyenucheya
15 May 2019   |   3:22 am
All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Bola Tinubu, yesterday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for taking an important step towards recognising June 12 as Democracy Day. Information minister, Lai Mohammed, had on Monday revealed the decision of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to move the new term inauguration ceremonies to June 12, while a low-key ceremony…

[FILES] Buhari

All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Bola Tinubu, yesterday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for taking an important step towards recognising June 12 as Democracy Day.

Information minister, Lai Mohammed, had on Monday revealed the decision of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to move the new term inauguration ceremonies to June 12, while a low-key ceremony be held on May 29 to comply with constitutional provision, which at present sees May 29 as the take-off date for elected office holders.

In a statement signed by Tunde Rahman from his media office, Tinubu said: “President Muhammadu Buhari deserves our thanks and congratulations for taking another important step towards fully recognising June 12 as Democracy Day in our country. The government moved the second term inauguration ceremonies to June 12 while events on May 29 would now be low-key swearing ceremonies, to comply with constitutional requirements covering the length of term for elected office-holders.”

In another development, Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Zubairu Muazu, has frowned at unwarranted killing of citizens by his men, saying that his command would not condone killings by officers any longer.

He made this known yesterday at a civil society forum on Police Accountability and Commissioner Police Breakfast Meeting organised by the Nigeria Policing Programme (NPP) in Lagos.

According to him, the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has directed all CPs to dismiss and prosecute any trigger-happy officer in their respective states.

To Muazu, killings by police officers is a cause for concern to the entire force, hence he warned that any of them involved in such misdemeanor would not be spared.

He added that all the officers involved in the death of innocent citizens in Lagos had all been prosecuted.

“No police officer will engage in such misdemeanour and go free. We will dismiss the officer involved and hand him over for prosecution and imprison him. I believe this will serve as deterrent to other police officers and we are working hard in training and re-training them, which is part of the factors causing the problem,” he stressed.

The CP said the anti-cultism unit’s excesses in the use of firearms and harassment of youths in the state had also been taken care of.

“We have been sensitising our officers that not everybody they see with dreadlocks is a cultist. Some are born with it. If I feel like tattooing my hand, then why not, I have the right to do that; not everybody that has tattoo is a cultist.

“We are working hard on that, and if you have noticed of recent, such unnecessary arrests and harassments are not found anymore in Lagos,” he said.

He, however, assured Lagos residents of the full support of the police, while urging them to report any misconduct by officers to the unit through its complaints line, which was provided at the forum.

Senior Policing Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, NPP, Abuja, AIG Austin Iwar (rtd.), bemoaned government’s lack of support for the police.

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