Lagos State police commissioner, Imohimi Edgal has dismissd eight officers over “very serious criminal offences”, while six others were demoted in ranks. Edgal, also said that 108 officers were disciplined for various offences from January to July, 2018 in the Lagos State Command.
He made the disclosure at a Stakeholders’ Forum on “Police Accountability and Presentation of Advocacy Materials at the command’s headquarters, Ikeja where he said that 58 other officers recorded major entries, six officers reprimanded, 28 officers got warning, four officers had extra fatigue, while five others were discharged for lack of evidences against them.
“The days of police officers receiving slaps on the wrist for offences are gone. When you performed excellently well, you will receive a CP’s Commendation Letter. I am not happy punishing any officer, but that does not mean we should overlook unprofessional conducts.
When I resumed as CP Lagos, I discovered that the public had lost confidence in the police. I set up a Citizen Complaint Hot Centre with 10 mobile phone lines through which people can complain about the wrongs of our men. I have received many complaints. However, there is no way I would know all that my men are doing if nobody complained,” he said.
Edgal called on people in Lagos to continue to assist the police with information and other assistance, stressing that the 28,000 officers and men in Lagos were inadequate to police the state. According to him, community policing in the state is working as it had reduced crimes by 35 per cent. Commending the forum organised by the civil society groups, he said that it would also assist the police to perform better.
Edgal, while appointing a senior police officer, SP Abubakar Aliyah from the X-Squad, as member of the forum, promised to monitor the activities of the forum, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, the National Coordinator, Network For Police Reform In Nigeria (NOPRIN) and Chairman of the forum, spoke on “Toward Sustained Community Partnership with the Lagos State Police”.