…says police also have human rights to protect
Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has asked the police men and women to be ready to protect themselves against attacks. He stressed that men and officers of the Police force have the right to defend themselves when their lives are threatened.
Adamu made the declaration Friday as he commenced an assessment tour of the damage done to police facilities during the #EndSARS protests in the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Abuja.
The Police Force had earlier in the day announced that 22 cops were killed and 205 police stations burnt during the protests organised by Nigerian youths to protest against the brutality of the now disbanded unit of the police that was formed to combat armed robbery and other violent crimes.
Adamu appealed to police officers who deserted the streets for the past five days following the killings to return to their duty posts.
The police boss alleged that the #EndSARS protesters set out to demoralise the personnel. He announced that government and the Nigeria Police Force would soon roll out packages for the families of the deceased officers.
“The unity of this country lies in the support that is given to police officers because if you are demoralised, the tendency is for criminals to take over the public space and the country is relying on us to make sure that the public space is not taken over by the criminals. So no amount of provocation, no amount of insult would make us shy away from our responsibilities.
“Inasmuch as we are aware that the government is behind us; so, we would encourage you to keep performing your duties. We would encourage you to be professional, to be civic, but if anybody touches you, if anybody comes to assault you, you can also protect yourself.
“When we talk of human rights, the police are human; so, the rights of police officers would also be protected. So, we are sending the message that legally, we have the right to protect ourselves,” Adamu said.
