The All Progressives Congress has condemned what it described as the apparently-orchestrated attack on Edo legislative quarters on Saturday.
The party said the attack had heightened the level of impunity under the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Administration to a level not even contemplated in the days of military rule.
In a statement in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said based on the ease with which the thugs invaded a facility that should be well secured and the ample time they had to damage more than30 cars and inflict injuries on legislators and their families, there is no question that the attack was carried out with the collusion of the lawless PDP and the increasingly-partisan police.
It said, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole said the government got intelligence report on the attack and informed the State Police Commissioner.
Instead of sending in reinforcement to prevent the attack, the few policemen attached to the quarters were withdrawn before the attack.
This is another indication of a police force that is being bankrolled by all taxpayers becoming shamelessly partisan and engaging in selective implementation of its constitutional role of protecting the lives andproperty of the citizenry.
APC said the atmosphere for the attack was created by a President whose body language encourages impunity, a President who has converted the police and the army to his partys militia, a President who presides over a government that is incapable of maintaining law and order, not to talk of protecting the citizens.
The party said whether in Rivers State, where the police was used toharass the opposition, including the Governor; Ekiti, where the policestood by while thugs led by theGovernor-elect Ayodele Fayose werebeating judges and sacking courts, the same Ekiti, where the PDP-ledFederal Government has used the police and other security agents to prevent courts from re-opening as ordered by the National JudicialCouncil, or Edo, where the police have offered protection to renegadelawmakers at the expense of the majority, the Jonathan Administrationhas given a free rein to impunity like never before in the history ofNigeria.
It said, The Inspector-General of Police takes orders only from thePresident. Therefore, where the President decides to turn the policeto his personal militia for use in vindictive and vendetta attacks,the IGP is not only required to comply, he is also expected to passthe same orders down the hierarchy. This is what is happening acrossthe country.
The danger, however, is that when a society descends into anarchy,the same police will not escape the consequences, and will also not beable to handle the outcome of its collusion as professionalism wouldhave deserted it and discipline compromised. By becoming partisan, thepolice force is destroying itself.
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Edo Legislative Quarters invasion heightens impunity under Jonathan -APC