IG apologises and detains four policemen who conducted raid on Edwin Clarke's Abuja home

INSPECTOR-general of police Ibrahim Idris has apologised to Niger delta elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark for the recent raid on his Abuja home saying that the action was not authorised and an investigation has been launched to find out how it happened.

Yesterday, four policemen ransacked Chief Clark's home but according to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), there was  no authorisation for the action according to police spokesman Jimoh Moshood. As a result, Mr Idris has ordered the detention of the policemen and the informant who carried out the raid.

According to Mr Moshood  the police delegation that went to Mr Clark’s house to apologise  comprised of the deputy inspector general operations and some commissioners of police. He added that Mr Idris has also directed the immediate presentation of the informant to the media before his prosecution in the law courts.

Mr Moshood said: “The inspector-general did not authorise the search and has therefore sent a delegation of senior police officers led by deputy inspector-general Joshak along with some commissioners of police who visited Chief Edwin Clark and apologised on behalf of the NPF and the inspector-general of police for the misconduct of the said police personnel and the attendant embarrassment the search has caused to the elder statesman and his family. The delegation was received by Chief Edwin Clark and the apology was accepted by him.

“The force wishes to categorically state that the inspector-general of police is not aware and did not order the raid of the residence of elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark as claimed by the writer of the story. Notwithstanding, the fact that on daily basis the NPF across the country receives information from members of the public which is promptly used to prevent and detect crimes and criminalities, the force will not condone misconduct by any of its personnel that can run contrary to the rule of law.”

Apparently, Chief Clark, 91, was at home when the policemen came at about 12.30pm in an 18- seater Hiace bus and a car marked EU 979 ABC. His home located at 43, Haile Selassie Street, Asokoro in Abuja, was turned inside out for about two hours.

Chief Clark said: “I was in the house, in my bedroom when my boys came to inform me that there were policemen downstairs and in the parlour, I said what do they want, they said they came from inspector-general of police Tactical Squad  with a warrant and with their office in Guzape, So I said what do you want?

“They said I was selling weapons in my house so that’s why they went to court to obtain a search warrant and they showed me the search warrant, I said, go ahead. So they went down,  searched everywhere, my most important part of it, my secretary, Miss Dorothy Koko,  was in the bank, they said they must see her bedroom and the office, so she had to come from the bank to open those rooms for them to search."

He added that he is of the opinion was related to a series of meetings recently held on the way forward for the nation as no sensible person would that a 92-year-old man in Abuja, will be keeping ammunition in his house to fight and overthrow the government. He added that he is a man of peace who believes in dialogue.