The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the acting Inspector General of Police Mr Solomon Arase to investigate the media report that a serving Senator Hope Uzodinma was caught by the police and electoral officials during the just concluded rerun election in Imo State while allegedly thumb printing ballot papers to influence the poll in favour of his political party, Peoples Democratic party (PDP).

In a statement, the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf stressed that the law is not respecter of any person regardless of his or her status or political affiliation.

The rights group said it amounted to treating certain persons allegedly in conflict with the law as sacred cows even as the same Nigerian Police Force is notorious for supervising the illegal and unconstitutional acts of extra judicial execution of petty criminals detained in the various police cells.

HURIWA, therefore, asked Arase “to deal decisively with his officials who allegedly did underhand deals to grant a bogus bail to the Senator on the dubious claim of self recognition. We ask: ‘Self recognition’ as what?”

“We consider it a scandal of unimaginable dimension that the police will pick and choose which allegedly accused persons are to be detained and which caliber of alleged criminals are to be allowed to roam the street and possibly the corridor of political power with the overarching intent of frustrating the enforcement of the rule of law.

“If the media story is anything to write home about then the said indicted senator must be arrested just like others who were driven to the police criminal departments in Owerri or Abuja. We don't subscribe to public parade of suspects but we urge the police authority to enforce the Nigerian Law without fear or favour,” the group said.

The group cautioned Arase not to condone any lawless act of his officers if he must achieve any meaningful reforms of the decadent Nigeria Police Force.

“The morning shows exactly how the rest of the day will be but the nation’s new police chief must make hay whilst the sun still shines.”

•Photo shows Arase

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