Mohammed Adamu, inspector general of police, is said to have queried top officers in the Edo state police command over their role in the arrest of chief priest of Okhuaihe Shrine, Osarodion Usuanlele, Ohen Nu Koni Evbuekoi of Benin kingdom.
News Telegraph reports that the state commissioner of police, DanMallam Abubakar, has since washed his hands off the invasion of the palace of the chief priest and his subsequent arrest. He said the command never authorised the arrest of the priest.
Uhunmwonde, where the chief priest resides, is more than 60 kilometres from Benin city.
The police commissioner said it was a sad development that the indigenous people who were conversant with the traditions were the same people who tried to mess it up.
He said: “Firstly, I did not authorise the arrest of the chief priest and nobody informed me until the traditional offence had been committed.
“Benin kingdom is one of the oldest kingdoms and we have high regards for the kingdom and will not allow anybody to come and mess the tradition up.”
Recall that we reported that Police IG Adamu Mohammed on Thursday, May 9, said the force would embark on new strategies to stem the rising tide of criminalities in Nigeria.
The police spokesman, Frank Mba, made this disclosure during a conversation with journalists in Abuja.
