Police Authorities Charge Officers to Stop Checking Phones on the Road
Police authorities have reiterated that officers are not permitted to check people’s phones while they are driving randomly.
During an appearance on Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, the force’s public relations officer, reiterated the warning.
“Stop checking phones on the road. You can’t check somebody’s phone. It is his personal property. You cannot do it,” Adejobi said of an activity that Nigerians have repeatedly accused policemen of doing.
The Force PRO talked on various topics, including police operations and recent disciplinary measures against some officers for abusing citizens of Nigeria.
When asked if the police were taking action to stop additional officers from violating citizens’ rights, he responded that efforts were being made while reiterating that deviants exist in every organisation and society.
He said, “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, and 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.”
The police spokesman emphasised that the police force functioned in accordance with the law and stated that the Force would continue to take necessary disciplinary action against insubordinate officers.
“So, if a policeman has done something wrong, every offence — a disciplinary or criminal offence — has its punishment. If it is a reduction in rank, we give it to you; if it is dismissal, we give it to you; if it is severe reprimand, we give it to you.
“But it is clear, how can a policeman stand on the road and be collecting money? It is not a disciplinary offence, and it is a criminal offence. Corruption is a criminal offence. If you flog somebody, you assault somebody. It is a criminal offence,” CSP Adejobi opined.
