The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun on Monday disowned Police personnel found escorting some foreigners recently arrested for cybercrimes, insisting that they were on an illegal duty as they were not officially deployed.
Speaking at a workshop organised for the standardisation of criminal investigations, for Heads of Police investigation Units nationwide in Abuja, he clarified that the police officers involved had been arrested and were currently being detained along with their Unit Commanders
According to him, “And the fact that some policemen were also seen protecting these foreigners. Yes, it is true. And the policemen have been arrested. We found out that the policemen were on illegal duty. Nobody deployed them.
“They were not properly deployed for that assignment.”
He further added that their commander had disowned them, and vowed that the police officers protecting the foreigners would be dealt with according to the law of the land
According to him, “I have explained that those police escorts were not formally deployed by the police authority, but they were found performing illegal duty. And they have already been found escorting the arrested foreigners. Already in our custody, their unit commanders have denied them that they did not send them.
“So they were performing illegal duties, and they will be dealt with accordingly. “
On November 4, the Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of 130 suspects linked to high-level cybercrimes, hacking, and activities threatening national security.
The group included 113 foreign nationals—87 men and 26 women—mainly from China and Malaysia, as well as 17 Nigerian collaborators.
The Police boss however, clarified that there were individuals in the society, especially employers of labour and big businessmen who deserved police protection.
Egbetokun said, “That, again, does not remove the fact that we have to deploy for the protection of certain individuals in our society. There are VIPs that the police have to protect.
“There are big businessmen, employers of labour. There are individuals who have thousands of Nigerians in their organizations. Such individuals deserve protection.
“Because if anything happens to them, you can imagine what will happen to their businesses. You can imagine the effects that are going to have on the unemployment rates in our country. So, such individuals, we look at their position in society.
“We look at what they contribute to the economy of the country. And we decide whether they need police protection or not. “
This came just as the Police boss clarified that no single person was arrested or prosecuted over the recent EndBadGovernance protest, saying rather the Police only arrested criminals who looted and vandalized public and private properties while the police provided adequate security for the protesters
On the arrested minors, Egbetokun clarified that they were not arrested for participating in the EndBadGovernance protests rather for looting and destruction of public infrastructure.
According to him,“I don’t want to make any categorical statement on this issue again, after the intervention of Mr. President. I just want to thank Mr. President for his fatherly intervention to give those children pardon. But I want to use this opportunity to correct an impression.
“The impression that those minors were arrested for participating in the End Bad Governance protest. That is a wrong narrative. It is not true.
“The police did not arrest anybody who participated in the End Bad Governance protest. We arrested criminals who took advantage of the protest to cause destruction to public infrastructure, to destroy private businesses, and to commit arson. Those ones cannot be regarded as protesters. The police did not arrest any protesters.
“But we arrested the criminals. So it’s a wrong narrative. It is mischievous for anybody to push the narrative that those 76 suspects who were arraigned in court were suspects, were people who participated in the End Bad Governance protest.
“We have said times and times that to protest is a right of citizens. They were captured on video looting people’s businesses, destroying private businesses, and destroying public infrastructure. And you want the police to look the other way and leave them, allow them to continue the destruction. No society will progress like that.”
The one day workshop aimed to enhance professionalism and standardization of criminal investigations and refine the investigative practice of every investigative detective in the Nigeria Police Force, ensuring thorough and unbiased procedures and the commitment to safeguarding the foundations of justice.
In attendance was a Professor of Law, Professor Ayodele Atseluwa from the University of Lagos, who delivered a lecture on “The Child justice System in Nigeria: An Overview.”
The IGP reiterated the unwavering commitment of the force to safeguarding the rights and well-being of children by adhering to the highest legal and global ethical standards, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
According to him, “The Force remains dedicated to implementing child-friendly policing practices that are supportive, non-traumatic, and rights-respecting, aimed at upholding the dignity and rights of children and young people while fostering a nurturing and protective environment.
In an effort to enhance the operational framework for combating terrorism and other violent crimes in Nigeria, the head of the Nigeria Police Force’s Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Unit, CP Hycenth Edozie, conducted an additional lecture focused on capacity building in the areas of money laundering and terrorism financing.
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