The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, vowed a showdown with members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), who attacked Police personnel on duty at the National Assembly, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
This is just as the police and the military have beefed up security at strategic locations in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs.
This warning was made during his visit some wounded police officers currently on admission at the National Hospital in Abuja.
The wounded police officers are Umar Ndabrana, DSP Samuel David, Corporal Mohammed Seriki and Corporal Joseph Abutu.
The IGP, accompanied by the FCT, Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, arrived at the hospital at about 12:28 pm, and was taken around the ward by Dr. Apollo Kanati, in charge of the trauma unit where he spoke with the injured policemen.
Adamu, while assuring that the police would take care of the medical bills and welfare of the officers, vowed to get all those involved in the attacks.
The IGP, who said the police had put in new strategies to curb the activities of the Shiites who have been disturbing the peace of Abuja, with their protest, said Tuesday’s protest would be the last to be conducted by the group as the police had put everything in place to ensure that they no longer have free access into the city.
In an interview with journalists after the visit, the IGP, said “in the course of protecting our citizens and giving rooms to people to express themselves, a group of people went overboard and attacked police officers in the course of performing their duties and you see the result; our officers have been shot.
“I have just seen them; they are carrying bullet wounds and some were attacked with clubs and stones. We showed restraint in terms of not going the same way the protesters went but it is an act that is not tolerated and it is an act we will not take again.
“The right to express yourself does not mean the right to trample on other people’s rights to the extent of causing a lot of havoc and sufferings on other people.
“We will make sure that those we have arrested are prosecuted and those that are yet to be arrested, we will go after them and make sure that they are arrested and justice is done.”
When asked on the threat made by the group to continue their protest until their leader was related, the IGP, said: “We are ready for them. We will not explain our strategy but we will make sure we don’t allow them disrupt the peace of the city.
“We have arrested 40 members of the El-Zakzakky Islamic Movement of Nigeria and we will make sure that those on the run are also arrested.