The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has said that the act of some members of the public attacking or beating up law enforcement agents carrying out their lawful duty is criminal and disrespectful to the Nigerian nation.
The FPRO also urged Nigerian citizens not to take laws into their hands whenever they have unpleasant encounters with police officers but lodge their complaints at relevant police units or bodies.
He emphasised that the Nigeria Police Force does not condone indiscipline or violation of human rights.
CSP Adejobi stated this on Monday, September 19, 2022, while reacting to the trending video in which two men were seen assaulting a police officer and attempting to disarm him by dragging his loaded AK-47 rifle with him.
He restated the law on serious assault as enshrined on Section 356 (2) of the Criminal Code Act of Southern Nigeria.
He said: “It has become pertinent to emphasise that the Nigeria Police Force has been a vanguard of sustainable democracy in the country via the aggressive protection of the fundamental rights of the citizens and other members of the Nigerian society.
“This has been evident in the continuous sanctions meted out by the police authority on officers engaged in violation of individual rights, as well as extant laws when reported via any of the available police complaint channels.”
The FPRO however said that some media platforms deliberately misquoted his submission on the assault on the uniformed officers as an endorsement of violence on members of the public.
“Where a public officer acts contrary to the provisions of extant laws, there are channels to report such conduct and get prompt justice, particularly in the Nigeria Police Force,” he noted, adding: “In the extant case, the individuals resorted to self-help and assaulted the officers, attempted to snatch the officers’ firearm, and in so doing, breached the law.
“It is trite that two wrongs cannot make a right. Whatever the provocation was, the actions of the individuals were wrong in all ramifications, as they should have reported the matter for prompt action,” he pointed out.
Adejobi said that his emphasis on this had been misrepresented across media platforms, as a single tweet in a thread was mischievously read out of context with a mischievous caption ‘No Nigerian Has the Right to Retaliate when Police Slaps You…’
He stated: “The Force urges well-meaning members of the public all of who are strategic stakeholders in policing across the country to disregard the malicious publications, as the current police administration is committed to ensuring that the rights of all citizens, uniformed or not, is protected across board.
“Furthermore, the Force urges the Nigerian populace not to take laws into their hands whenever they have unpleasant encounters with police officers.
“Complaints arising from such encounters can be reported via the Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs) of the various commands, the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) and via official police accounts across social media platforms.
“Similarly, the idea of pouncing on and beating up law enforcement agents carrying out their public duty by members of the public whom they serve, is criminal and disrespectful to our beloved nation, Nigeria, and must not be allowed to exacerbate.”
