It Is Unacceptable For The Police To Continue This Way – Speaker Dogara
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Loading ...Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara Has said that Nigeria is a democracy and all persons and institutions including law enforcement agencies must operate within the ambit of the law.
Speaking shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House Abuja, Dogara disclosed that he and president of the Senate Bukola Saraki raised the issue of treatment meted to Senator Dino Melaye by the police with the president.
“Nigeria is a democracy. The police must operate within the ambit of the rule of law and due process. It is unacceptable for the police to continue to operate like a clan of tribesmen, a sort of upgraded barbarians”, he said.
“Anything that happens to one of our members or any member of the National Assembly is of concern to us. And there is no way we can have this kind of meeting without raising that.
“This is a civilian administration, it is democracy and it is imperative and very very important that all institutions of democracy operate within the ambit of the rule of law.
“There is no where, I have said it before that police will behave in a democracy like a clan of tribesmen, like upgraded barbarians sort of. So there is need for us to act with civility.
“We are not saying that anybody should be protected and defended. Once you have committed an offence, our law says you should answer it but you just have to utilize the provision of our constitution, the rule of law and this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has over emphasized in order to bring people to book.
“But a situation where people are wheeled to court, that doesn’t give a good image of our democracy. I have not seen a democracy where people are wheeled to court, they are not in the proper frame of mind and they are forced to undergo trial.
“Whatever it is, even if Dino is pretending as some have said in some section of the media, he cannot pretend forever. He is there, he will not run away, he is a senator and he can be tried any time he is in proper frame of mind.
“As a lawyer, I can tell you, any judge that assesses an accused person not to be in a proper frame of mind, even if the accused person pleads guilty, he is duty bound by law to record a plea of guilty if he is not satisfied as to the soundness of the mind of the accused person,” he said.
