The Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) has called on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgar Imohimi, and men of the Nigeria Police Force to desist from harassing its officers across the state, urging Imohimi to comply with the court judgment which ruled against such act.
South- West Zonal Commandant of the outfit, Mutairu Habib, made the call at the weekend at a news conference in Lagos, following the acquittal of 34 Peace Corps officials that were illegally arrested by the police and arraigned at a magistrate’s court in Oshodi, presided over by Chief Magistrate Amos for want of diligent prosecution.
The 34 officers were arrested by men of Lagos Police Command on Friday, September 22, 2017, on their way to Ikorodu to attend a function to commemorate the World Peace Day 2017 which was celebrated worldwide the previous day.
The affected officers were subsequently arraigned the following day before a magistrate’s court sitting in Oshodi on a 3-count charge of impersonation, conspiracy and breach of peace.
Habib, who is also the Lagos State Commandant of the Peace Corps, while decrying the development, said, “The body, Peace Corps was hit with utmost shock and trepidation when on Friday, 22 September 2017, 34 of its officers who were on their way to attend a function to commemorate the World Peace Day 2017 which was celebrated worldwide the previous day were arrested and detained by men of the Nigerian Police.”
He, however, expressed joy that the Peace Corps, won the case before the court presided over by Chief Magistrate Amos, who ruled on the submission made by Counsel for the Attorney-General of Lagos State and the defence counsel.
According to him, both the Counsel for the Attorney-General of Lagos State and the defence counsel had informed the court that from the look of things, the police who were the complainant, had by virtue of their absence in court on more than three occasions appeared to have abandoned the case, following which the court stuck out the case for want of diligent prosecution.
“Pursuant to the foregoing, we hereby call on the Commissioner of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to respect the court order and desist from the unnecessary harassment and intimidation of our members,” Habib said.
The Peace Corps boss, while saying that the outfit had never lost any case in court, asserted that the police had no power to harass or seize any of the corps property anywhere in the country.
He, however, commended the Chief Magistrate Amos for delivering in favour of the Peace Corps what he termed a befitting judgment, saying, “We also want to use this opportunity to commend the Chief Magistrate Amos, who after careful observation and deliberation during the proceedings of the court gave the befitting judgment.”
Habib, while assuring that the police had nothing to fear as the Peace Corps was in no way taking over their job, affirmed that the security challenge facing the country was enormous, saying it was something that police alone could not address without collaboration from other relevant agencies.
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