IG Designs New Punishment for Killer-CopsThis is what happens when the police cease to be accountable to the people they are supposed to protect.
By Godwin Ifijeh and Yemi AkinsuyiThe Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Tafa Balogun, yesterday warned policemen against indiscriminate shooting of innocent citizens.
The IGP who addressed men and officers of the Zonal Command at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, on his second day of official visit to the area, said the indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens has got to a point that the force might resort to parading culprits with the corpses on their heads.
"We have tried to make you change your ways at all cost, so many are on orderly room trial, many others have been dismissed, since it appears we are not making any headway, we might be compelled to decide henceforth that any policeman who kills an innocent citizen would be made to carry the corpse round the streets.
"Of course, you know that where that happens, you can hardly take some steps before you are lynched by members of the public.
"AS we have always told you, it is better to allow 10 armed robbers to go than shooting to kill one innocent citizen. Of course, we know that the armed robber would always be caught up with," the IGP said.
He told them that the police have been receiving accolades from members of the public, the presidency and the National Assembly in acknowledgment of the good work they have been doing lately but regretted that the rise in the tempo of indiscriminate killings of innocent citizens was fast eroding whatever successes they have recorded in the area of crime combat lately.
"Everybody has now acknowledged that you have been doing a good job in the area of crime combat.
"Very unfortunately, this attitude of indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens and the corruptive attitude of collecting [money] from motorists is not helping our course and image and we will henceforth take severe sanctions against those found to be involved in such acts.
The IGP asked him to assure him that henceforth they would no longer shoot indiscriminately and he got their word for that.
INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, yesterday declared that henceforth any policeman that "kills innocent person through accidental discharge would be executed publicly. He said the police force would no longer accept "accidental discharge "as an excuse from any police officer for killing innocent people. The police boss in a chat with newsmen in Lagos said that the police was worried greatly at the spate of extra-judicial killings across the country, adding that it was better to allow robbers to escape than kill innocent persons.How soon before we have to "call our police to order"? Obviously our situation is no where near as bad as Nigeria's, but if don't stop the militarization of our police force, how soon will it be until we see it?"The police is greatly disturbed about the degree of extra-judicial killing among trigger-happy policemen. It is better to allow 10 armed robbers to escape than kill one innocent person in the name of fighting crime. And I have always told them that anybody found guilty of illegally killing innocent persons would be treated as a murderer and would face prosecution," he vowed.
Rising cases of extra judicial killings have forced Nigerians to ask police authorities to call their people to order.