IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has called on the Nigerian Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba to replace the Force spokesman, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi if he did not apologise and withdraw a recent controversial statement.
Falana said Adejobi’s statement lacked respect for the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people, He, therefore, asked him to withdraw it within 24 hours.
Adejobi in a statement posted on his Twitter account on Sunday stated that “even if a policeman on (sic) uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate. More so, if he’s on uniform, it’s an act of disrespect to Nigeria to beat an officer on uniform. The disrespect is not to the policeman but to our nation and it’s a crime as enshrined in our criminal laws”.
But the lawyer described the statement as inciting and provocative, adding that the comment is a misleading impression that the Nigeria Police Force has authorised its officers to slap citizens and subject them to other forms of torture without any challenge whatsoever.
The Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) noted that under the Anti Torture Act 2017, a police officer who assaults a civilian is liable to 25 years imprisonment.
He added that assault on Nigerian citizens by police or any other security agency is a violation of human rights as enshrined in chapter 34 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Falana said Section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution protects the fundamental right to the dignity of every citizen, adding that “no citizen shall be subjected to any mental, physical or psychological torture”.
The statement read, “In the same vein, police officers are equally mandated to respect civilians. Indeed, section (2)(b) of the Anti Torture Act, 2017 states that torture is deemed committed when an act by which pain and suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person to punish him for an act he or a third person has committed or suspected of having committed.
“The penalty for assaulting a civilian is 25 years under the Anti Torture Act of 2017
“In addition, the victim may sue for monetary compensation under the Anti Torture Act and the Constitution.”
“In view of the foregoing, Mr. Olumiyiwa Adejobi should withdraw his highly inciting and provocative statement which has given the misleading impression that the Nigeria Police Force has authorised its officers to slap citizens and subject them to other forms of torture without any challenge whatsoever.
“If the statement is not withdrawn within the next 24 hours the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba should not hesitate to replace Mr. Adejobi with another police officer who has unqualified respect for the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people.”
