‘Stop checking phones on the road’, Force PRO warns officers

Authorities of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have once again warned that its personnel have no right to check people’s phones arbitrarily on the road. 

This is one of the activities which Nigerians have repeatedly accused policemen of doing.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, reechoed the notice on Tuesday during an appearance on Channel Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by Mega Icon Magazine.

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

The Force PRO who was commenting on the activities of the police, recent disciplinary actions taken against some policemen for assaulting Nigerians, among other issues assured that the police 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 added.

Speaking further, the Force spokesman said efforts were in place to prevent more policemen from violating the rights of Nigerians, 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 explained.