•Area Commanders, DPOs, others to be held responsible; culprits to face murder charger
LAGOS—Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, yesterday in Lagos, said that henceforth, the nation’s policemen will start using stun guns for routine patrols because the Police under the current leadership can no longer tolerate abuses associated with the Police. He spoke on the heels of killings by some policemen in Lagos and other parts of the country, recently.
Meanwhile, the British High Commission said that it was working with the Federal Government to end the scourge of kidnappings in the country.
The UK through the Administrative Assistant, Private Office and Political, British High Commission, Abuja, Wayne White, disclosed that the UK was aware of the widespread insecurity and killings in Nigeria and was doing a lot to provide technical assistance to Nigeria to combat the scourge.
Also, troops of the Nigerian Army and Cameroon Defence Force fighting to rid the North Eastern part of the country and fringes of Lake Chad of Boko Haram terrorists, have killed 27 of the terrorists in a heavy gun fight.
According to the Nigerian Army, at the end of the shoot-out, a cache of weapons capable of great destructive proportions including five Gun Trucks, two Anti-Aircraft Guns and two General Purpose Machine Guns among others were recovered from the felled terrorists.
How Arase introduced stun guns
It will be recalled that former IGP, Solomon Arase (retd), was first to introduce the concept of using stun guns in the Nigeria Police Force following outcry over cases of accidental discharge.
Aside introducing the concept, IGP Arase who was an apostle of community policing, procured the stun guns and requisite wherewithal necessary for their usage.
About 200 units of the stun guns which were bought by IGP Arase were supplied and distributed to Police Training institutions in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kaduna to train police personnel on their use.
He also introduced mental tests for police officers and personnel who would be allowed to carry guns and stay at strategic positions, a bit far off from those carrying stun guns in case of deadly armed robbery attacks.
The stun guns according to Vanguard’s findings are presently being kept at Police armoury at the Police Training School, Ikeja in Lagos State, the armouries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna.
Enough is enough —IGP
Giving the stern warning during a visit to Lagos State, following recent public outcry, the visibly angry IGP Adamu said: “I have already ordered that a signal be circulated to all police commands and formations in the country warning of dire consequences, against any personnel, that by their incorrigible acts, deviates from accepted police culture and values.
“It is with a deep sense of professional concern that I visit the Lagos State Police Command to address the personnel of the force in the state. This visit has become expedient in view of recent trend of unprofessional conduct by some personnel who in utter disregard for their professional training, international protocols, constitutional dictates, force policies and ethical standards, have continued to drag the force into acts that pitch it against the citizens we were engaged, paid and statutorily obliged to serve and protect.
“I must emphasise that enough is enough. The nation and indeed the police under the current leadership can no longer tolerate abuses associated with the police either in Lagos or any other part of the country. I have already ordered that a signal be circulated to all police commands and formations warning of dire consequences, against any personnel who by their incorrigible acts deviate from accepted police culture and values.
Police to use stun guns for patrols, low risk operations
“In the long term, rather than the use of firearms, we shall henceforth use technologies and weapon systems such as electro-muscular disruption technology which is commonly known as teaser or stun guns by police for routine patrol, arrest duties and other low risk operations as a strategic approach towards reducing incidents of fatalities associated with misapplication of lethal weapons by the police as first line of response to any threat.”
Lamenting that from January to April, 2019, Lagos has recorded four incidents of misuse of firearms which had resulted in extrajudicial killings of young citizens of the country and injury to others, he said “More worrisome is that two of these incidents occurred within the last two weeks. Aside negating our professional calling, extra-judicial acts of any description or level by any police personnel is an unacceptable anomaly that creates distrust and disdain between the citizens and their police and widen the trust gap between them.
“Most disturbing is that the fatalities that resulted from such indiscretional deployment of lethal force leave behind trails of unbearable eternal pains and sorrow within the families, friends and associates of the victim.”
VANGUARD
