Clark Petitions Buhari, NSA over Raid on His Residence

• Urges full investigation of incident, reveals alleged masterminds

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Elder statesman and nonagenarian, Chief Edwin Clark, has petitioned both President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Mohammed Monguno (rtd), over the illegal and unauthorised search of his residence in Abuja by four officers of the Nigerian Police Force.

Armed policemen had last Tuesday invaded the Asokoro residence of Clark over allegation of stockpiling arms in his house.

Though the elder statesman said he accepted the public apology of the police, nonetheless, he wants the matter to be thoroughly investigated and the real mastermind of the raid exposed.

The South-south leader has alleged that the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Yusuf Kolo; Commander of the Inspector General of Police (IG) Special Tactical Squad and Assistant Inspector General of Police (Federal Intelligence), Umoru Usman, were those who ordered the raid and search on his residence.

In the petitions with reference No KACCL/PET/KA/76/18 and dated September 6, 2018, signed by his lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, Clark wondered why the police authorities, which are always in the know of the masterminds and conspirators of the invasion, are going after the four junior officers who were merely carrying out instructions from their superiors.

Part of the Petition read: “Our client did brief us that at about 12:30p.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2018, officers and men of the IG Tactical Squad (a unit under the direct command of the Inspector General of Police) alongside journalists invaded and ransacked his Asokoro residence on the pretext that they were in search of arms and ammunitions. However, despite the siege and search, they found nothing incriminating on our client.

“Our client further briefed us, and we also confirmed that at the point where officers and men of the IG Tactical Squad were to commence their search having introduced themselves, stated that they were acting under the instructions of the Inspector General of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Yusuf Kolo, as their commander, and that former Bayelsa State SSG and former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Power, Boladei Igali, who was with our client at the venue of the search, put a call through to Assistant Inspector General of Police (Federal Intelligence) Umoru Usman Shehu, who spoke with the leader of the search party, and gave authority to go ahead with the search.

“Having so searched in vain, the IG, in the face of the impudent search conducted on the property of our client, has publicly denied any knowledge of the said search and has immediately ordered the arrest of the four junior officers who were responsible for the search and tendered a public apology to our client.”

Clark lawyer further stated that “taking into the consideration the circumstances of the invasion and uncivilized search conducted on his property, and the attendant embarrassment caused to our client and what he stands for, it is imperative to hold the view that there are serious questions which ought to be determined forthwith and without mincing words.

“It will be rather unfortunate for junior officers and men of the IG Tactical Squad who were at best acting on the orders of their superiors to fall prey in this regard.”

Ajulo stressed that Clark had been a frontline advocate against taking up arms by the youths of the Niger-Delta, and has been responsible for brokering peace between the Niger-Delta and several administrations in Nigeria.

In leading the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the lawyer said Clark had joined other stakeholders to put a halt to youth restiveness and wanton destruction of oil pipelines in the region and ultimately restore peace, thereby increasing production of Nigeria’s sustenance in oil production and encouraging foreign participation.

He said the invasion of his Asokoro-Abuja residence has since fanned wrong embers, caused uproar and pandemonium in the Niger Delta region of which our clients and others have been assiduously working to curtail.