Adejobi added that complaints over unpleasant encounters could be reported via the Police Public Relations Officers of various Commands.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigerian Police Force, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has advised the public to report to authorities if they have an unpleasant encounter with the police rather than attacking the policemen.
In a press release on Monday in Abuja, Adejobi said his statement followed a trending video where some individuals assaulted a police officer and attempted to disarm him by dragging his loaded AK47 rifle.
He said that some sections of the media had deliberately misquoted his earlier reaction to the incident, by portraying him as endorsing violence by uniformed officers against the public.
Adejobi noted that rather than breaching the law, aggrieved persons should follow proper channels to lodge their complaint to appropriate authorities on any form of misconduct by police personnel.
“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.
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“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 right that two wrongs cannot make a right, as such whatever the provocation, the action of the individuals were wrong,” the FPRO said.
Adejobi added that complaints over unpleasant encounters could be reported via the Police Public Relations Officers of various Commands, Police Complaint Response Unit and official police accounts across social media platforms.
Adejobi said the idea of beating up law enforcement agents on duty is criminal and disrespectful to the nation and must not be allowed to continue.
He said that the Nigeria Police has been a vanguard of sustainable democracy in the country via the aggressive protection of the fundamental rights of citizens and other members of the public.
According to him, 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.