By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
The Nigerian Police Force has revealed that it is investigating some state governors and individuals whose utterances are considered to have incited citizens to riots over the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali, who briefed State House correspondents alongside the Attorney General of Federation, Abubakar Malami, after a meeting of National Security Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said effort were ongoing to prosecute them.
Alkali however, said that despite the investigation, the police cannot prosecute the state governors because they enjoy immunity.
Recall that many governors led by the Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, had openly denigrated the Buhari policy, asking their citizens not to comply with the expiration of the legality of the old N500 and N1000.
Asked why the governors had not been cautioned, the Police boss stated: “We all know why, unless you want to hear from the mouth of the Attorney General. We are , we are investigating. Whoever does anything can be investigated.
“But for him to be investigated, there are some people who have immunity. I think that is some of the reasons. But that will not stop us cautioning them, from warning them, from advising them, and we are doing so. That’s for the incitement by governors.”
Asked why the police have not arrest some state governors inciting citizens on the redesign currency crunch, the IGP said, specific in the function is that we should respect law and order.
He said one of the issue taken to addressed it was the presence of combined operation in Lagos and Ogun states, adding that some of the operations aimed at stabilizing internal security before elections.
The IGP said they have done what is required to calm down the situation and stabilized the polity, assuring that there won’t be security issue on election day. you wont see them in polling stations.
On his part, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami has said that he wouldn’t speak on the outcome of the naira redesign policy which some state governors sued the Federal Government at the Supreme Court which was adjourned to March 3, 2023.
Malami said that he has not been officially and formally briefed on the pending case at the Supreme Court has not been officially and formally briefed as to what indeed happened at the Court, emphasizing that, the matter pending before Supreme Court is indeed sub juice; “I am not, as expected, as the chief law officer, to be preemptive.”
Apparently, the implication of an adjournment is to the effect that there exists a life issue being considered by the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court will within the context of its constitutional responsibility, he said.
On the issues raised relating to an opinion allegedly issued by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, to the effect that the President was ill advised on the issue of Naira redesign, Malami said said he won’t react to it based on certain reasons.
“Against the background of the multiple layers of proffering opinion, “it will be difficult for me to arrive at a conclusion, by way of reacting in one way or the other to the submissions of the Honorable Minister, in view of the fact that he wasn’t specific as to the direction of the advisory that you are perhaps making reference to,” the minister explained.
“There could be opinions or perhaps advices that have economic and monetary undertones, arriving from prevailing legislations. This opinion naturally comes from the Central Bank, if the issue in contention is an issue that borders on monetary and financial regulatory policies of government.
“There are issues, equally, that have legal undertones, in respect of which perhaps the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice renders advisory services in terms of legal opinion. There are those issues, equally, that may have legislative or political undertones.
“So I am not in a position to join issues, one way or the other, taking into consideration the multiplicity of the possibilities of advisory services.”
