Lockdown: IGP Warns Police Officers Against Trampling on Nigerians’ rights

The Inspector General of Police, Mr.Mohammed Adamu, Thursday, warned officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force currently deployed for the enforcement of the lockdown and social restriction presidential orders, not to infringe on the rights of Nigerians under whatever guise.

Equally, the IGP told his officers and men not to harass persons on essential duties who are duly exempted from the restriction orders. Rather, the officers must treat such persons with courtesies and must be granted unfettered access to and fro their places of work.

These were conveyed in a press release issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP.

In the release, Mba said: “The IGP notesthat the global community is now in extra-ordinary times, with the lockdown taking its tolls on every component of our national life. Therefore, all police officers deployed for the enforcement of these restriction orders must be professional, humane and tactful and must show utmost respect to the citizenry.”

Consequently, Mba continued, the IGP directed Command Commissioners of Police “to immediately commence conduct monitoring of Police Officers deployed on enforcement duties in their areas of responsibilities.

“The IGP has equally charged Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) across the nation to ensure adequate supervision of personnel under their watch, as well as due compliance with the Standard Operating Procedure guiding this special task. The AIGs and CPs are also to ensure robust anti-crime patrols and surveillance around vulnerable targets such as medical facilities, shops and markets, residential areas, financial institutions and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) points, amongst others, so that criminals do not take undue advantage of the current COVID-19 challenge to perpetrate crimes against the citizenry.”

Mba concluded the statement quoting his boss as expressing “profound gratitude to Nigerians for their resilience and voluntary compliance with the social restriction orders and cooperation with the Police at all times.”

Adamu, therefore, urged Nigerians to continue to observe all precautionary measures issued by relevant health authorities to help the country neutralise the coronavirus threat.