The Integrity Youth Alliance, an organisation that has been monitoring the development trends in the Nigeria Police Force for over 15 years, has said that the Inspector General of Police has never haunted journalists under the pretext of enforcing the Cybercrime Act.
Responding to a publication in a major newspaper titled “Disquiet in Police over IG’s Tenure,” the General Secretary of the Alliance, Danjuma Lamido, said that IGP Kayode Egbetokun remained the best media-friendly IGP in the history of the Nigeria Police Force, as the records are there for Nigerians to see.
“It is unfortunate that those blackmailers trying to tarnish the image of the IGP for their selfish reasons could say that IGP Egbetokun haunted journalists with a law that was established even before his appointment as the Inspector General of Police, Lamido said.
“The Cybercrimes Act 2015 (as amended) is an act to provide for the prohibition, prevention, detection, response, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrimes; and for other related matters. As mandated by the 1999 Constitution as amended, the Nigeria Police must enforce the law.
“For those wondering why Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police, and other officers should retire when they attain 60 years or 35 years in service while the IG, who is their senior, is given automatic four-year tenure, which is contrary to public service rules, they should know that the post of the Inspector General of Police is an appointment, so it has nothing to do with the public service rules.
“We want to challenge the sponsor of the publication to publish the so-called “notorious human rights abuses and impunity” under the IGP. Also, we challenge any protester to show evidence that the Nigeria Police used live ammunition to quell the recent #EndBadGovernance protest.
“We want to warn those trying to dent the image of the Nigeria Police and the Inspector General of Police that “blowing out someone else’s candle does not make yours shine any brighter.”
“On a final note, it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. This is the time to join hands with the Nigeria Police and the Inspector General of Police to have a police force that is professionally competent, service-driven, rule-of-law compliant, and people-friendly—a police force that will effectively support the agenda of the government for economic recovery and growth, as well as the social and political development of our dear country, Nigeria, the statement concluded.