The Benue Youths Forum has demanded an immediate apology from the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, over alleged disparaging comments against the TIV nation.
The Forum said the IGP had, in a report published on August 10, 2022, by The Nation newspaper, openly disparaged the entire Tiv nation over the misbehaviour of an individual.
Terrence Kuanum, leader of the Forum, lamented that the IGP had, in a parley with officers and men of the Nigeria Police in Gombe State, made those demeaning remarks that were clearly disrespectful to the Tiv nation.
The police chief was giving reasons behind the dismissal of three police officers recently, among them an Inspector of Police of Tiv origin who was serving in the Kogi State Command for various misdemeanours inimical to the image of the force.
“It is curious that IGP Alkali mentioned the Tiv twice in two sentences without any mention of the tribes or ethnicity of the other two Policemen that were also dismissed for unprofessional conduct,” Kuanum said in a statement on Saturday.
He said for the number one Police officer in the country to make comments like “one Tiv man” and “look at how he was dressed like a Tiv warrior” while referring to the dismissed Police Inspector was tantamount to hatred and ethnic profiling, which shouldn’t be coming from someone who is expected to be neutral at all times.
He said many Police officers and men from different tribes had been found wanting in the discharge of their duties, but at no time did their ethnic groups so disparaged.
“A recent case in point is the allegations against DCP Abba Kyari and his colleagues who are currently standing trial for drug-related offences. Their tribes have not been an issue,” he said.
“Why the Benue Youth Forum will not support any act of criminality by any officer of the state as exhibited by the inglorious action of the dismissed Police Inspector, which eventually cost him his job, we, on behalf of the entire Tiv nation, take exception to that blatant insult and overt spewing of vile towards the Tiv nation by the Inspector General of Police.”
“We, therefore, condemn in totality the attempt by the IGP to disparage the Tiv people and portray them in a bad light.”
“Such remarks coming from a man who has always stressed the need for people to avoid ethnic profiling of criminals shows that there is much to be desired from him if he must be seen as a professional.”
“We, therefore, demand an immediate withdrawal of the careless comments from IGP Usman and a public apology to the Tiv nation who have been insulted by that infamous outing in Gombe.”
