A HUMAN rights activist, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to stop double-talking to Nigerians over report of police misconduct on social media, saying that the police boss rolled out social media platforms to report police conduct upon assumption of office in order to bring the needed integrity to the force.
Reacting to the recent assertion of Mr Egbetokun, warning Nigerians against reporting of police misconduct on social media platforms, Sulaiman, in a statement on Friday, insisted that the same Egbetokun, through the police spokesperson, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, released police social media handles to report the misconduct of men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Sulaiman, who is the Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), urged Egbetokun not to succumb to the pressure of some corrupt elements in the police to cover the corrupt practices of the men of Nigeria Police Force.
According Sulaiman, the emergence of new media has helped our national life in exposing the evil acts of some elements in the country, adding that the introduction of social media in our national life has brought more advantages to our faulty policing system, particularly, in exposing unprofessional conduct of men and women of the Nigeria Police Force.
Sulaiman disclosed that if not for the emergency of social media, some elements in the Nigeria Police would have destroyed the image of the police, advising the IGP to ensure the training and retraining of the men and officers of the Nigeria Police to conduct themselves professionally in line with international best practices. According to him, such training and retraining exercise would make the police officers to respect the fundamental rights of Nigerian citizens while performing their Constitutional duties and as well guide them to perform optimally.
“IGP is a very dutiful and professional Police Officer and since he came on board as Inspector General of Police, had been trying to ensure that men and women of the Police conduct themselves professionally in performing of their official duties but some bad eggs in the Force still continue with their unprofessional conduct and reporting of their conduct to the public through social media has checkmated these categories of officers from further bringing stigma to the Police Force,” Sulaiman stated.
Penultimate Monday, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun advised Nigerians to refrain from using social media to report the conduct of police officers, but rather direct such complaints to the Police Complaints Response Unit.
Egbetokun who spoke at the PPROs/Police Communication Experts’ Conference in Asaba, Delta State, stressed that the use of social media to address grievances often leads to misinformation and undermines the integrity of the police force.
“We appeal to the public not to resort to social media when reporting the conduct of police officers but rather use the Police Complaints Response Unit,” Egbetokun had said.
He stressed that such platforms provide a more structured and accountable process for addressing complaints, acknowledging the role social media plays in shaping public opinion, he warned that unverified information could create false perceptions.
He highlighted the importance of promoting transparency and accountability within the police force, noting that the police consider the media a critical partner in this effort.
