Two mobile policemen were attacked and called thieves by
angry youths suspected to be traders at the Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos
State.
In a viral video online, some angry youths were seen
assaulting the policemen and shouting ‘Ole! Ole!’ – thieves – on them.
One of the youths was seen attempting to hit a plank on the
head of one of the police officers.
It was gathered that the incident happened on Friday morning
when the Lagos task force when to search for piracy and substandard goods in
the market.
One of the youths was heard complaining about frequent raids
by the task force, alleging that the policemen seized traders’ wares, including
phones and other accessories.
Reacting, the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Hakeem
Odumosu, instituted an investigation into the violent attacks and theft
allegation against the policemen captured in the viral video.
The Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Olumiuyiwa
Adejobi, made this known in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement read, “The Command wishes to state
categorically that the authors of the referred viral video painted the incident
mischievously in a bad light with an attempt to ridicule the entire Nigeria
Police Force as the policemen never went to buy phones, neither were they
caught in any act of theft in the computer village.
“The HP Electronics Company’s Taskforce on piracy, in
company of some police operatives, were at the shop located at No 30, Awolowo
Road, Opposite Glass House, Ikeja, Lagos, on a routine operation against piracy
and sub-standard products in the market when some hoodlums suddenly became
violent and attacked the team.
“They went ahead by creating a scene, calling them thieves
and passing uncomplimentary comments on the policemen in order to distract and
halt the anti-piracy operation.
“The team was chased away by the hoodlums and did not allow
the operation to succeed due to their criminal tendencies.
“Without mincing words, the Lagos State Police command
wishes to clear the air and disabuse the minds of the general public that the
policemen captured in the video are not thieves but operatives on official and
legal operation at the computer village contrary to the wrong impression
painted by the originators of the fake video on the social media.
“Premised on this, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State,
CP Hakeem Odumosu has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to
investigate the theft allegation and attacks on the policemen and team which
would be the third of its kind in recent time in the same computer village;
noting that the command will not tolerate any act of criminality and
lawlessness in any part of the state.
“While commending the act of professionalism and maturity of
the policemen and team to avert chaos in the area, CP Hakeem Odumosu warns the
general public to desist from launching attacks on the police and other
security agents, either on official duty or off duty, and peddling fake news as
such would be a dent on our national integrity and honour which we all guide
jealously.”
The Nigerian Police should also desist from nefarious and unwarranted raids. It is very much apparent that the Nigerian Police have perfected different means of intimidating innocent and unarmed public with the sole aimed of coercing them to part away with sums of money as dictated by the police depending on the gravity of allegations they insinuate. This is very unbecoming civility demands the use of intelligence to carry out their duty. You can't see police in the street anyhow in developed and developing nations, because they are guided by code of operation and respect for rights confined within the law of nations. In Nigeria, everyone is a suspect to the Nigeria Police (sic)
ReplyDeleteSince abiku has mastered the act of dying prematurely, his/her mother has also developed the act of burying him/her in hot ashes.
ReplyDeleteThe reaction of public to police unjustified activities and brutalities is a product of the lack of respect and civility Nigeria police has for the people, and how they go about unofficial duties. Action and reaction is equal and opposite.