Why hoodlums attacked officers – Police
The Lagos Police Command has described as unacceptable, the violent attacks on two Police Mobile Force (PMF) operatives by a mob in Computer Village who labelled them thieves.
The armed policemen who were part of an anti-piracy team deployed to the market were seen in a viral video being assaulted and dragged by civilians with someone shouting ‘Ole! Ole!’ in the background.
Checks by The Nation revealed that thugs in Computer Village on Friday morning descended on a Taskforce put in place to check piracy and substandard goods in the market. While others fled, the two armed policemen were accosted and beaten before being dragged to the Area F Police Command, Ikeja.
Their attackers were said to have been enraged by the frequent raids carried out by the Taskforce which usually saw them seizing people’s wares including phones and other accessories.
Reacting to the viral video, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu in a statement by spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the command has commenced an investigation, vowing to fish out those behind it.
He described it as a misrepresentation of facts, allegations that the policemen stole phones from a shop in the market, confirming they were in Computer Village with the HP Electronics Company’s Taskforce on piracy.
“The command wishes to state categorically that the authors of the referred viral video painted the incident mischievously in a bad light with an attempt to ridicule the entire Nigeria Police Force as the policemen never went to buy phones, neither were they caught in any act of theft in the computer village.
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“The HP Electronics Company’s Taskforce on piracy, in the company of some police operatives, were at the shop located at 30, Awolowo Road, Opposite Glass House, Ikeja, Lagos, on a routine operation against piracy and sub-standard products in the market when some hoodlums suddenly became violent and attacked the team.
“They went ahead by creating a scene, calling them thieves and passing uncomplimentary comments on the policemen in order to distract and halt the anti-piracy operation. The team was chased away by the hoodlums and did not allow the operation to succeed due to their criminal tendencies.
“Without mincing words, the Lagos State Police Command wishes to clear the air and disabuse the minds of the general public that the policemen captured in the video are not thieves but operatives on official and legal operation at the Computer Village contrary to the wrong impression painted by the originators of the fake video on social media.
“Premised on this, the Commissioner of Police, (CP) Hakeem Odumosu has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to investigate the theft allegation and attacks on the policemen and team which would be the third of its kind in recent time in the same computer village.
“He noted that the command will not tolerate any act of criminality and lawlessness in any part of the state.
“While commending the act of professionalism and maturity of the policemen and team to avert chaos in the area, CP Hakeem Odumosu warns the public to desist from launching attacks on the police and other security agents, either on official duty or off duty, and peddling fake news as such would be a dent on our national integrity and honour which we all guide jealously,” the command said.
