Lagos govt to police: Halt incessant harassment of Nigerians by some of your men

As protests against the menace of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) rocked Lagos State and other parts of the country, the state government on Friday charged the police high command to ensure it puts a stop to the incessant harassment of Nigerians by some officers of the anti-robbery squad.

The state deputy governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, gave this charge while addressing protesters who stormed the State House of Assembly, Alausa, Ikeja, as the protest reached its second day, saying that any officer of the squad found to have harassed any innocent Nigerian should be arrested and prosecuted.

The deputy governor, while noting that individuals hold the right to protest, said it was wrong for any law enforcement agent to maim or criminalise another Nigerian without reasonable cause, adding that law enforcement agents while doing their job should not trample on the right of the citizens.

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“It’s okay to protest, but I say clearly that it is wrong for any law enforcement agent to maim or criminalise another Nigerian without reasonable course. The police or law enforcement agents must do their job. 

“In doing that job, you cannot trample on the right of the citizens. You cannot say our youths, because of their looks or they are carrying computer are guilty of a crime. The job of the police is to arrest people and send them for prosecution if they do something wrong. Those tenets must be adhered to,” he said.

“We are not against police fighting robbery, but we are saying do not unjustifiably hurt our children because of their looks. Whoever is responsible should be arrested and prosecuted,” he added.

The deputy governor, however, enjoined the protesters to be law-abiding, even as he said the job carried out by the police was important to the safety of the citizenry, in spite of the bad eggs among them.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE