A Liberty Television journalist, Aminu Nurudeen, suspected to have posted the viral video showing the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, struggling to read a speech at a public event in Kano, has gone into hiding.
Saturday PUNCH reports that the Kano State Police Command invited the reporter to its office immediately the video went viral.
The video, shows the IG struggling to read his speech at the inauguration of the Police Technical Intelligence Unit in Kano State on Monday.
It was learnt that Nurudeen’s whereabouts had been unknown since the state’s police spokesman, SP Musa Magaji Majiya, invited him on Thursday.
Sources said the police authorities were upset with the journalist because he had allegedly disobeyed a directive by the state’s command to journalists present at the event not to report the IG’s blunder or make the video public.
According to sources, the IG’s blunder brought an abrupt end to the event, leading the police chief’s handlers to hurriedly usher him away from the venue of the event.
The viral video showed the IG delivering an incoherent speech, which had since exposed him to public ridicule.
In a part of the transcription of the footage, Idris said,
“I mean, transmission, I mean effort, that the transmission cooperation to transmission, I mean transmission to have effect, ehm, apprehend, I mean, apprehensive towards the recommendation, recommended formation effective and effect, I mean, apprehensive at the transmission of…and transmission and transmission for the effective in the police command.”
Voice of Liberty reportedly posted the video on Wednesday.
It was gathered on Friday that the IG was embarrassed by the trending video and had ordered an investigation into its release.
In the video, the police boss stumbled over nearly every word in the address, pronouncing transition as transmission and generally bungling his remarks.
The over two minutes video showed Idris apologising to the audience intermittently as he struggled to read the speech which appeared to be a few pages long.
As he battled to read the speech, a senior police officer moved to his side to assist him, but he still flunked the speech.
A source said that the IG explained away the video to his officers, describing it as doctored.
“He has however ordered an investigation into the leakage of the video but we are watching to see how he intends to deal with the individuals behind the viral video without further embarrassing himself and the force,” a senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told one of our correspondents.
It was gathered that detectives were using the police technical platform to track the original source of the video on social media.
It was learnt that bloggers that posted the video might be interrogated by the police for allegedly “peddling a doctored video meant to cast the IG in a bad light and embarrass the police leadership.”
Recall that Idris, in an interactive media chat on the police Twitter handle, Nigerian Police @PoliceNG #Askthepolice had also told Nigerians that the video was doctored.
However, a source said the police were being cautious in issuing an official statement to debunk the video in order not to further escalate reactions already generated by the clip.
The source said,
“The video was doctored and it was meant to embarrass the Force and the IG. The police don’t want to issue an official statement because no TV station, or newspaper has carried the story. The moment a statement is issued, the doctored video would be revisited and it would escalate things. Even if the police issue an official statement, it may still backfire.”
Another source, a senior police officer, claimed that the Force had “the original version of the doctored video,” dismissing allegations that the police had invited the journalist that released the video.
He said,
“The original version of the video is available. As far as I know, the police have not ordered the arrest of anybody in connection with the video. The journalist might say the police invited him, but there was nothing like that. There is nothing like a spell being cast on the IG. Besides, there is nothing like that in law. The video was done mischievously. IG is mentally sound and he has been coming to the office every day after that event was held.”
The officer stated that the video was under investigation, adding that the outcome would determine the next line of action.
