Najaatu flays Police role in Kano re-run polls

A politician, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammad, has criticized the role of the police in the governorship re-run election in Kano State and asked the force to show more commitment to the present administration’s effort against insecurity to ensure success of the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The women leader, who is also a commissioner in the Police Service Commission (PSC), said in a press statement in reaction to recent political developments and the security situation in the country that the call became especially important as President Buhari had been given a renewed mandate by the people.

In the statement, she lamented that due to some professional lapses by the police in their duty of protecting lives and property, the military had taken over what should ordinarily be their role.

She cited the recent report of the European Union on the conduct of the 2019 general elections on the role of the police in the re-run of inconclusive elections in Kano State.

Hajiya Naja’atu said President Buhari in his commitment to ensuring free and fair re-run elections in the state, had in a broadcast called on the police to avoid going outside their statutory role and allow the people to exercise their right to vote for their preferred candidates during the elections.

“But as indicated in the EU report and as was widely known, the police brought in senior officers from headquarters and prevented the state police commissioner who had drastically reduced crime in the state and had firmly and fairly handled police duties during the first round of elections in Kano State to the admiration of all stakeholders, to prevent him from doing his duties.

“The stage was then set for the acts of criminality like ballot box snatching, physical assault on persons, destruction of property, murder, rape and arson perpetrated by thugs with the police either looking on or abetting by protecting such thugs in their dastardly acts”, she said.