Police Disrupts Dino Melaye's Conference On Anti Corruption

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) experts and anti-corruption activists drawn from the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK) and other parts of Europe were on Tuesday frustrated in Abuja and prevented from attending a colloquium that would have been used to create awareness on proper use of FOI, leaving behind it trails of anger and suspicion.

The experts and activists were to attend the two-day event which had as its theme: “Demystifying the Complexities on Freedom of Information Act 2011 - Empowering the People” but scores of police officers which said they acted based on order from above, stormed the Nicon Luxury Hotel, venue of the event, and sealed up the hall billed to be used for the occasion.

The colloquium was organized by Anti Corruption Network (ACN) which has been on the vanguard of fighting graft in the country and which has a former member of House of the Representatives, Dino Melaye, as its executive secretary.

Some of the foreign experts who were to participate in the colloquim included Dr Manisuli Ssenyonjo and Professor Ben Chigara of Brunel University, Middlesex, England; Bami Sanya, who is Ethics and Compliance Manager of World Bank, Washington DC, USA; Dupe Derby, who is Corporate Solicitor with Paramount Global Consulting based in London and Ms Samantha Simms, who works as Privacy and Information Consultant in London.

Local participants invited to the event included former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Senate President, David Mark; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; former chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Audu Ogbeh; former governors Abubakar Audu and Balarabe Musa; ex-minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; human rights activists, Femi Falana and Mike Ozekhome; lawmaker Abike Dabiri as well as General Ahmed Aboki.

Some of the invading armed police officers stormed the hall and allegedly scattered the arrangements already put in place there before eventually locking up the doors leading to the hall while others took strategic positions both within and outside the hotel, after parking their Hilux patrol van with registration number NPF 6673 C at the gate of the hotel.

The policemen, who included combat officers and anti-terrorism squads, also ensured that the inner doors leading to the hall were barricaded. They were led by an assistant commissioner of police who failed to disclose his identity.

Prior to Tuesday, Melaye hinted that the association targeted to use the event which he noted was going to be certificated and free to raise public enlightenment on the FoI Act and to fight corruption.

Protocol officers from the National Assembly were on ground to access the venue prior to the arrival of the leadership and met the confusion.

Senator Victor Lar, who was to represent David Mark, arrived the venue while Melaye had to inform Tambuwal who was on his way of the situation of things at the venue and asked him not to come to avoid any embarrassment.

Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri, as well as representatives of the Minister of Justice, chairmen of the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and para-military organisations arrived the venue and equally met the confusion.

The officers could not give concrete reason for their action but it was believed that the directive to stop the event came from the presidency, worried that the outcome of the colloquium would pass a damning verdict against the anti-corruption posture of President Goodluck Jonathan.

It was gathered that the convener duly wrote the office of the Inspector General of Police and even demanded he sends 20 officers as participants. Similar letter was equally sent to other security agencies.

Addressing journalists over the action of the police, Melaye said he could not understand why the programme was stopped from holding and noted that his group would consider taking legal action against the police chief and the hotel.

He said, “we were here throughout last night (Monday night) in preparation for today’s (Tuesday’s) programme. We made payment for the venue and the feeding. This morning (yesterday), we came over to open the hall and the management of the hotel briefed us that there is an order from the IGP stopping the programme. I then asked why the police would stop a programme where they have been invited as participants.

“I have two letters here acknowledged by the office of the IGP, where we told them to send 20 participants. The theme of the colloquium is ‘Demystifying the Complexities of FoI and How to Empower the People.’ We invited all the security agencies

“It is outrageous and laughable. I don’t know what to say. Nigeria is now a police state. What we are doing is in the interest of Nigeria. We are here to enlighten Nigerians. I don’t know what the IGP and this government is afraid of.

“We are going to consult with our lawyers and we are going to sue the Nigeria Police and this hotel. As at Monday night, we had released N4 million to this hotel. 
This is not even a protest. It is an intellectual discourse. What impression are we giving those international speakers that have been invited?”

On his own, former governor of old Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, who also turned up for the event, alleged that the action by the police was ordered by President Jonathan.

He said, “all the relevant people in government have been invited and most of them have indicated their interest to be here.

“The conclusion we can get from this is that the president himself must have ordered that this event must not take place. The president is unhappy about this event.

“Since the government cannot justify that this campaign against corruption is just a cover-up, the only thing they can do is to ensure that a function like this which will expose the level of corruption in this country doesn’t hold.

“This is stupid. No matter what happens, there is a limit to which you can limit certain things. We will continue to expose corruption.

“How can the president transform the country when he cannot allow healthy deliberations like this to take place? Whoever stopped this programme is making a fool of himself. Police men cannot stop us,” he said.

The FCT command of the Nigeria Police, however, denied knowledge of the incident.

Spokesperson of the command, Altine Daniel, denied the command hierarchy ordered the operation.