Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), has redeployed Mohammed Barde, the commissioner of police in Imo, ahead of the governorship election in the state.
The Labour Party (LP) and several civil society organisations (CSOs) had called for the removal of the commissioner over an assault on Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
On November 1, Ajaero was reportedly picked up from the Imo council secretariat of the NLC in Owerri by heavily armed police officers. He was said to have been beaten and blindfolded immediately after he was arrested by security operatives.
However, the Imo police command denied that the NLC boss was arrested and brutalised by its officers, saying the police rescued Ajaero from a mob and he was taken into protective custody.
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Speaking in a townhall meeting on election security, on Sunday, the IGP said Barde will be removed as commissioner for the period of the election for the sake of neutrality.
“I am aware that there have been allegations on social media against the Commissioner of Police in Imo State; but for this election, we are changing the commissioner of police in Imo,” the IGP said.
“The fact that we are changing him may not be because he has been found guilty of those allegations but for neutrality sake, we are changing him for this election.”
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