Police IG reacts to allegations of ethnic bias in handling of Ile-Ife crisis

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has reacted to allegations that his men are handling the investigation into the Ile-Ife crisis partially.

Governor Ayo Fayose had earlier accused the police of ethnic bias, adding that only Yorubas were arrested in a clash that involved Hausa also.

According to Vanguard, the police boss also told newsmen that crime has no tribe or face.

Idris said this on Friday, while speaking to journalists at the Presidential Villa, after a meeting with President Buhari.

The police boss also said “I came to see the President to update him on the deployment of the police in our effort to ensure that we have security all over the country.

“Obviously, it’s to share with him our deployment strategies on ground, our deployment to some of these flash points all over the country, especially Benue which is the current one, deployment to Kaduna state which started some few weeks back and deployment to the Ile-Ife crisis where recently, we have a lot of police officers both special squads and investigation team on ground to conduct investigation on the matter.

“You know we are police officers. Crime has no tribe. If you are a criminal you are a criminal. Crime has no face. we don’t look at crime in the identity of where you are coming from. As far as you are a criminal and the police find you wanting, we apply the law.

“You know some of these crises, we have to look at the origin of these crises and the immediate cause for you to make a proper classification of these crimes. If you follow some of these crimes, they are just crimes that happened without any warning. If you look at that Ife crisis, if you see how it started, it’s just a disagreement between two people selling food along the road.

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“So, you have to look at the dynamics of the country itself. Obviously when you have such situation we have to react to it. We had to move in to ensure we provide some security to the people.”

Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode also accused the police of bias in the handling of the Ile-Ife crisis.