Last updated on April 21st, 2021 at 07:39 pm
A senior police officer has advised Nigerians not to rely on the members of the Nigeria Police Force for safety during the yuletide.
The Divisional Police Officer (name withheld) said, “In these ember months, up to Christmas and New Year, I doubt if any of the services can guarantee maximum security. There is no way we can discharge our statutory responsibilities when we have become soft targets,” PRNigeria quoted him as saying.
The reactions of the officer may be connected on how hoodlums invaded several police stations in Lagos and other parts of the country, destroying, killing, and looting police facilities.
The hoodlums had hijacked #EndSars protest which was calling for an end to police brutality and impunity among the political class.
Unfortunately, the police had a taste of what brutality was and the the hunter became the hunted.
Speaking on the number of victims of the hoodlum brutality against the police, IGP Muhammed Adamu disclosed more than 50 of his men were killed across Nigeria.
He advised his men to adequately protect themselves against further attack from civilians.
In a meeting a few hours ago, one of the heads of police divisions had vowed that he would not draft his men to any flashpoint during Christmas and the New Year celebrations.
In anger he said, “Our destroyed facilities are yet to be reconstructed; looted armouries are yet to be restocked.”
The Police Service Commission (PSC) last week directed police officers to return to their duty post or risk dismissal.