Policemen Warned against Checking Phones on the Road

Bolaji Babatunde

The Nigerian Police yesterday warned its personnel to stop checking people’s phone arbitrarily on road because they have no right to do so.

Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Chief Superintend of Police (CSP) Muyiwa Adejobi, restated this yesterday while  appearing  on  Channels Television Sunrise Daily.

He said: “Stop checking phones on the road. You can’t check somebody’s phone. It is his personal property. You cannot do it.”

The Force PRO  commented  on the activities of the police, recent disciplinary actions taken against some policemen for assaulting Nigerians, among other issues.

Asked if the police are taking steps to prevent more policemen from violating the rights of Nigerians, he said efforts were in place, stressing that in every organisation and society there will be deviants.

“In the Police, we have those who are deviants. There is no policeman who doesn’t know that you must not dress improperly, you must not smoke while on duty, you must not slap the Nigerian, you must not use cutlass to flog.

“There is no Nigerian police personnel who will tell me today that they are not aware because, in the training school, it’s part of our manual; they must have taught you all these things,”Adejobi said.

Stressing that the police force operates based on laws, the  he said the Force will continue
to take necessary disciplinary actions against errant
officers.

“So, if a policeman has done something wrong, every offence — disciplinary offence or criminal offence — has its punishment. If it is reduction in rank, we give it to you; if it is dismissal, we give to you; if it is severe reprimand, we give to you…

“But it is clear, how can a policeman stand on the road and be collecting money? It is not a disciplinary offence, it is a criminal offence. Corruption is a criminal offence. If you flog somebody, you assault somebody, it is a criminal offence,” he said.