No police officer should speak this and remain in uniform

The reports said that he made the remarks at a meeting with police officers of the Ogun State Command at its Eleweran Headquarters, Abeokuta, instructing them to be battle-ready for the elections, and warned politicians to have a second thought over any ‘planned criminal act’.He said that if any of his men were shot, no […]

The reports said that he made the remarks at a meeting with police officers of the Ogun State Command at its Eleweran Headquarters, Abeokuta, instructing them to be battle-ready for the elections, and warned politicians to have a second thought over any ‘planned criminal act’.
He said that if any of his men were shot, no less than 20 civilians would be shot in retaliation.
“If any of my men is killed, I shall kill 20 of the civilians; but don’t shoot first. If they shoot you, shoot back in self-defence. Anybody who fires you, fire him back in self-defence.”
Such un-police behaviour naturally elicited widespread outrage; it must have raised some eyebrows in the corridors of power too.  Early this week, a statement released on his behalf said he was quoted out of context.  But Mr Mbu has a history of controversial statements and conduct. His words that evoke images of actual battlefield encounters with the public are not new.
In this season of electioneering, such combative stance could scare people away from the polling stations on election days, a form of disenfranchisement. The presence of policemen during election should inspire confidence, not fear of possible bloodshed that Mr Mbu so indelicately hinted at. He came to national attention as a controversial officer when he served as Commissioner of Police in Rivers State. He quickly became embroiled in the political divisions in the state that saw Governor Rotimi Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan being in different camps.  In the ensuing bitter feud that subsists to this day, Mbu’s role in it was less than the disinterested arbiter he ought to be.
 Among other things, Mbu was seen as a willing tool in the hands of the first lady, Patience Jonathan, former Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, now a gubernatorial candidate in Rivers, and other officials that the Presidency deployed to fight Governor Amaechi for the control of state. Mbu despatched police personnel disrupt rallies and meetings organised by those perceived to be supporters of the governor. In one instance, Amaechi was forcibly barred from driving into his offices at Government House. In another, the police barricaded the highway to the airport in Port Harcourt, so Amaechi and his entourage had to trek several kilometres to receive their guest, General Muhammadu Buhari.
But his growing public image as a controversial figure paradoxically earned him kudos and a promotion to the Federal Capital Territory as the Commissioner of Police. He immediately issued a statement saying that public gatherings, such as the regular meetings of the #BringBackOurGirls group to press the Jonathan administration on the missing Chibok schoolgirls, had been banned. The outrage that this caused forced the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to call Mbu to order, stressing that the Nigeria Police Force had not given any order banning rallies in the city; organisers of the #BringBackOurGirls took Mbu to court.
Later on, Mbu addressed some officers, telling them that he would no longer tolerate the killing of his personnel.  Any community where a policeman was killed, he said, would be razed down. During a visit to the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, the monarch, a former senior police officer himself, pointedly told Mbu, that “nobody can intimidate us. Let it be clear that Lagos is not Port Harcourt.”
He reminded the AIG that police officers should not take sides in politics, but do their constitutional role without bias. Meanwhile, Inspector General  Suleiman Abba, countering Mbu’s latest bluster, cautioned  personnel against the use of firearms during the forthcoming elections unless in extreme  circumstances.  It is clear from all these episodes involving Mbu that his role has not been strictly law enforcement; those who accuse him of acting a political script have his untoward words to point to as evidence.
A superior police officer with a predilection to enmesh himself in conduct that portrays the entire Force in poor light cannot be its ambassador to the people. The sooner the police high command takes appropriate steps to halt this ugly trend the better for everyone.  The country does no need to take the chance of one or more of the horrible scenarios actually occurring before the government takes proactive measures.