The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, says the Nigeria Police Force does not condone indiscipline and violation of citizens’ rights by police officers.
Adejobi had in a tweet on Saturday, said, “Even if a policeman on uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate more so if he’s on the uniform, it’s an act of disrespect to Nigeria, to beat an officer on uniform, the disrespect is not to the policeman but to our nation and it’s a crime as enshrined in our criminal laws.”
BASIC FACTS
- The police FPRO have said his tweets on Saturday on police assault was misquoted.
- The police PRO had on Saturday said in a tweet “even if a police man on uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate…”
- Human Rights lawyer in response had reminded the FPRO that assault on civilians by the police attracts 25 years jail term.
WHAT WE KNOW
In a bid to correct the wrong impression created by his tweets on Saturday, that suggests a promotion of police brutality, the police Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi has said he was misquoted.
The FPRO had on Saturday tweeted “even if a policeman on uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate more so if he’s on the uniform, it’s an act of disrespect to Nigeria, to beat an officer on uniform, the disrespect is not to the policeman but to our nation and it’s a crime as enshrined in our criminal laws”
However, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, tackled Adejobi, saying assault on civilians by policemen attracts 25-year imprisonment.
In a statement on Monday, the FPRO said his tweet was “misquoted”.
NOTABLE QUOTES
FPRO Olumuyiwa Adejobi had on Saturday tweeted:
“Even if a policeman on uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate more so if hes on uniform, its an act of disrespect to Nigeria, to beat an officer on uniform, the disrespect is not to the policeman but to our nation and its a crime as enshrined in https://t.co/csNA8rZLJU
— Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi (@Princemoye1) September 17, 2022″
However, on Monday, the FPRO had this to say:
“It has become pertinent to emphasize 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 Force Public Relations Officer reacted to a trending video where some individuals grievously assaulted a police officer, and attempted to disarm the officer by dragging his loaded AK47 rifle, restating the law on serious assault as enshrined in Section 356 (2) of the Criminal Code Act of Southern Nigeria with explanations. However, some media platforms deliberately misquoted it as endorsing violence by uniformed officers against 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. In the extant case, the individuals resorted to self-help and assaulted the officers, attempted to snatch the officers’ firearms, and in so doing breached the law. It is trite that two wrongs cannot make a right, as such whatever the provocation, the action of the individuals were wrong in all ramifications as they would have reported the matter for prompt action. Emphasis on this has 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… “.
“The Force urges well-meaning members of the public all of whom 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, are 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.”
CATCH UP
FPRO Adejobi Saturday statement attracted more condemnation and discredit to the police force following the tweet which suggested support for police brutality across the country.
Most significant of the push back from Nigeria against the position of the police spokesperson came from Femi Falana SAN, who made it clear that a police officer is liable to 25 years imprisonment for assaults on civilians.
TAKEAWAY
Certainly positions like the one adopted by Ademuyi Adejobi explains why some policemen have come to see impunity as a necessary part of policing.
Adejobi would have cautioned against attacking policemen on duty without given a veiled approval to their brutality.
He would have made channels of report available in the first tweet and assure the public it is better to report erring officers than taking laws in their hands.
Adejobi`s attempt at correcting his tweets falls flat on the face. First rather than take responsibility for his uncharitable communication, he blames it on imaginary mischievous makers even when the original tweet is in public domain.
The question the police authorities should ask their men, how did they find themselves in position of physical contact with people who attempted snatching their arms? Those guys maybe may not be criminals who would have made away with the arm, thereby endangering innocent citizens.
Obviously the police need to retrain her men even in the act of communication, such that they won’t be “misquoted” now and again.
