Police deny ordering closure of Ondo Assembly

Ibrahim Idris,Inspector General of Police.

The Police High Command has denied that it ordered the closure of the Ondo House of Assembly following the crisis that has hit the legislative arm of government in the state in recent weeks.

It was widely reported that the Acting Speaker of the assembly, Malachy Coker, said it would close indefinitely following the orders of the Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Jimoh Moshood, said: “The report was misleading, malicious and capable of misinforming members of the public on the statutory roles of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to restore law and order and guarantee protection of lives and property in the country. The story is absolutely the imagination of the writer and should be disregarded.

“The IG did not order the closure of the Assembly as alleged, although there was a report of chaos on January 30, 2016 following disagreements between two factions of the House over change of leadership. The state command deployed policemen to bring the situation to order and restore normalcy.

“Speaker of the House was impeached the second day, which resulted to a chaotic situation that was capable of threatening the peace of the state.

“The police shall be employed for the prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders, preservation of law and order and protection of lives and property.

“The deployment of police personnel to restore normalcy and prevent further breakdown of law and order in Ondo State House of Assembly was in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.”