Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, has directed operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other tactical squads in the state to fully comply with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu or face stiff punishment.
Ajogun gave this directive on Thursday, while addresing operatives of the SARS, shortly after parading some suspects at the Ogun State Police Command’s headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
According to the CP, the Command had began the enforcement of the IGP’s order.
He disclosed that he had ordered the deployment of a monitoring team, led by the Command X-squad to arrest any police officer violating the directives of the IGP.
Ajogun, who warned his men against unprofessional behaviors and violation of people’s rights, said that “on no account must they conduct checks and mount road blocks on highways and streets, and should not go on routine patrols.”
He added: “They must not search citizen’s phones, laptops and other electronic devices except if it becomes necessary in the course of investigation of reported cases, officially authorised with proven evidence to that effect. In doing all that too, they must be in their regular police uniforms or tactical gears.
“In Ogun State, we have started to enforce the orders and directives. Monitoring teams led by the Command X-squad have started patrolling the entire length and breadth of the state for the purpose of effecting arrest of the errant officers. Consequently and in accordance with Inspector-General of Police directives, tactical teams will only be directed to tackle issues of armed robbery, kidnapping and other high profile crimes”.
The CP, however, noted that “the IGP’s directives did not prevent the tactical teams from working, the directives were only to ensure that their activities, behaviours and decisions are in consonance with international best practices, extant national laws including the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, police professional ethics and rules of engagement.”
Parading the suspects before journalists, Ajogun disclosed that they were arrested, following a complaint from the victim, Gbemisola Mosaku Ajimoh that, her bank account had been hacked by some internet fraudsters and about N1.5million was moved from the account.
The CP told journalists that the prime suspect, Oshin Esther, took the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card of the victim who is also her friend and contacted a suspected internet fraudster, Morakinyo Mayowa to siphon the money from the account.
According to the commissioner, Morakinyo used the ATM card of the victim to purchase mobile phones worth N1.5million from an online market hub, Jumia.
The phones were later sold to one Adewunmi Olarewaju, a phone dealer at the Computer Village in Lagos state.
Ajogun said, “but things took a new twist when the phone dealer mobilised hoodlums to attack the detectives who went to effect his arrest at the Computer Village”.
He added that the detectives contacted the police at Area F Lagos who rescued them and succeeded in effecting the arrest of the suspect.