The Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) has said that it will partner with the Nigeria Police to tackle the high level of insecurity bedevilling the country.
Addressing journalists on Thursday while formally taking possession of its corporate head office in Abuja after three years of siege to the premises by the Nigeria Police Force, the National Commandant, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, said that they bore no grudge against anybody or organisation over the three years they were prevented from accessing the office.
Akoh along with other officers and members took possession of the office around 8am after the Inspector General of Police (IG) Mohammed Adamu ordered the policeman out of the premises.
Also the PCN National Commandant Made A Press Briefing Below :
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE NATIONAL COMMANDANT, PEACE CORPS OF NIGERIA (PCN), AMB. (DR) DICKSON. A. O. AKOH, FCITr, FCPA, FNSIS, ON THE OPENING OF THE SEALED PEACE CORPS OF NIGERIA’S HEADQUARTERS HELD AT NO 57, IYA ABUBAKAR CRESCENT, OFF ALEX EKWUEME WAY, OPPOSITE JABI LAKE, JABI, ABUJA ON THURSDAY, 5TH MARCH, 2020
Gentlemen of the press.
2. On Monday 3rd March, 2020, at about 17:00hrs, we received with great excitement, the news of the unsealing of our Headquarters by the Police. The action of the Police was predicated on the directive by the Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN that the Police obey the subsisting and valid Judgment and Orders of the Federal High Court and vacate this property and our offices nationwide.
3. I wish to recall that in the aftermath of the Police sealing this office and the subsequent clamp down on our officers nationwide, as a law abiding Organization, we were left with no other option than to institute a Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement Suit against the Nigeria Police before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division. In a well-considered landmark judgment, delivered in favour of the Peace Corps of Nigeria by the Presiding Judge, His Lordship, Hon. Justice Gabriel Kolawole on the 9th of November, 2017, the Court declared the action of the Police as illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.
4. The Court further gave a consequential Order that the Police vacate this property and our offices nationwide in addition to awarding the sum of Twelve Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N12,500,000.00) only in favour of Peace Corps of Nigeria. Also, in the charges filed by the Police against the Incorporated Trustees of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and my humble self in the Federal High Court before His Lordship, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, on the 14th of February, 2018, the Court Ordered the Police to vacate this facility. Based on this twin Orders of the Court, the Federal Ministry of Justice on Two occasions intervened and wrote to the then Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to obey the Court orders, which he ignored with classical impunity.
5. While we viewed this intervention by the Federal Ministry of Justice as a vindication on our part, and the recourse to the rule of law by the Federal Government, we wish to place it on record that our experiences since our ordeal started on the 28th February, 2017 when this edifice was being commissioned, to say the least is highly traumatizing and indeed a tortuous journey to achieving social justice.
6. However, I wish to state at this point that, this Organization and its leadership bear no grudges or animosity against any Agency or individual. Thus, our predicaments in the past three years are seen as an act of God and a sacrifice or a price that we have to pay in the task of Nation Building.
7. This morning, I decided to be here to inspect and assess the extent of damages that have been done to this facility. For what you can also see with me, I can authoritatively say that we have lost over 120 Million Naira being damages done to the physical infrastructure, furniture and the state-of-the-Art equipment installed here before the commissioning. In addition, the gross misrepresentation, misconception and the psychological damages done to our members nationwide cannot be monetarily quantified.
8. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, we have collectively resolved to put the past challenges behind us and remain focused on how to embark on confidence building and institutional synergy with the Police and other relevant Agencies in the spirit of Patriotism.
9. Towards this end, we wish to specially commend the Attorney General of the Federation for his kind and humane intervention and for giving effect to the Rule of Law, which is the cornerstone of every ideal democracy, by ensuring that Justice is done in our matter. In the same vein, we wish to appreciate the effort of the current Inspector General of Police, Mr Muhammed Adamu, for his commitment to professionalism, the rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights of the citizenry. We remain eternally grateful to him for complying with the directive of the Attorney General and unsealing our office, while assuring him of our willingness and readiness to partner with the Police towards achieving a near crime free society.
10. This message will be incomplete if we do not extend our profound appreciation to our teeming supporters nationwide and other well-meaning Nigerians, who genuinely stood by us during our trying moment. It is their display of solidarity and love that actually energized us to survive those dark moments. We remain perpetually grateful to all of them and others too numerous to capture in a short speech of this nature.
11. Finally, we also greatly appreciate our partners-in-progress, Members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm for their doggedness in standing by us through thick and thin. Permiyt me to say that your unalloyed support actually served as the tonic that sustained our resolve not to cave in to the pressures from our detractors. As we all stand at the sentinel of history today to shout Halleluyah, your labour of love will certainly not go unappreciated and unrewarded by God Almighty.
12. Thanks for your patience and may God bless you all.
May God bless Peace Corps of Nigeria.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
0 Comments