UPDATE: Why I ordered arrest of APC lawmaker - Bauchi Police Commissioner

By Mukaila Danladi

Bauchi State Police Command has explained the reason it ordered the arrest of 45-year-old APC member representing Bauchi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Yakubu Shehu, Abdullahi popularly known as ‘Yakubu Wowo". 

The Police Command had on Tuesday, declared the Federal Lawmaker wanted for alleged criminal conspiracy, disturbance of public peace and culpable homicide. 

Explaining the Command's action while speaking with journalists in his office on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police, CP Aminu Alhassan, said that the lawmaker is not immune to arrest based on criminal allegations levelled against him.

Aminu Alhassan was reacting to allegation made by the immediate past Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, that the the Police did not follow due process for ordering for his arrest. 

He said that the Police is not partisan when it comes to issues of activities of political parties, stressing that the Police in the state is not supporting any candidate of any political party to win the gubernatorial election.

The Police of Commissioner also said that he has no preferred gubernatorial candidate of the three main political parties contesting the governorship seat, adding that he is a friend to all of them.

He said that following the violence that erupted at the Governor's hometown at Duguri Town in Alkaleri Local Government that left one person dead with 15 others injured, the Police in the state commenced its investigation into the incidence because four prominent politicians were indicted in the matter.

He said: "In all fairness to everybody, a day after the incidence that happened late in the evening, before the death of one of the victims of the shooting, I was more or less in touch with those in the APC. Their complaint was that some persons were gathering elsewhere in Bauchi state to attack them. I (responded) by sending Policemen to escort them to wherever they were going to."

 "When we heard that somebody died and all accusing fingers were pointing at four prominent persons in that group, we had to start looking for them. Honestly, one of the fastest ways of getting any information is to first talk to the stakeholders. I told the APC that I would need at least two major stakeholders in the state and they assured me that they were coming."

Aminu Alhassan further said that, "Late in the evening, I had to contact them through my phone, even sent message to them that these are the people I needed because allegations were going on, I even sent pictures of allegations being made from left and right and we, the Police, we cannot rely on allegations without clearing it."

"Later, I was told by the stakeholders I contacted that they could not get to Honourable Yakubu, so I told them clean and clear that I am not waiting for them to bring Yakubu and Bakaro to me, I am going out to arrest them. I told them not to feel slighted. I then sent my operatives to sneak into every nook and crannies where these people are, but on hearing that I was looking for them, they all ran out of Bauchi state," he said. 

According to him, "This is the time for digital tracking and I discovered how he left Bauchi, where he went, before finally reaching Abuja. We don't have that time to go to Abuja to look for him because we are occupied with the preparations for the forthcoming election." 

"So, we made it known before the public that he is wanted,  we went to his family to drop a letter which before they accept it they called him and he told them to collect the letter," he added. 

The CP added: "He is fully aware, we don't need to go to the National Assembly and even the Assembly saying that we need to inform them before we order for his arrest. No, this is a criminal issue that everybody is pointing at a particular person. We don't need to go to that extent."

"For all my stay in the Police as an Officer and as a Commissioner of Police, this is my third Command I have handled, there was never a time that a House of Representatives member or Senator has immunity," he stressed. 

 "The immunity is only waved when criminal allegations are involved with exception of the President, Governor, Senate President and Deputy Governor, but for others, there is nothing like immunity. When you commit criminality, you are prone to be investigated and the Police can arrest you.

"To cite a similar example of this, a lawmaker in Kano state was arrested for a similar allegation, I never heard that they went to the National Assembly to seek for National Assembly approval to arrest him, so Honourable Yakubu has no immunity to arrest" he said.