The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi on Wednesday announced the dismissal of eight officers over what he described as “very serious criminal offenses”, while six others were demoted in ranks.
Edgal, also said that 108 officers were disciplined for various offenses 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 in Ikeja.
The police boss also said that six officers were reprimanded, 28 officers got a warning, four officers had extra fatigue, while five others were discharged for lack of evidence against them.
Mr. Edgal who stated that he does not derive joy in punishing any officer but insists “The days of police officers receiving slaps on the wrist for offenses are gone. When you performed excellently well, you will receive a CP’s Commendation Letter. He said unprofessional conducts will not be overlooked.
The Commissioner of police stated that on his arrival in Lagos “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.
Imohimi 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 percent.
Commending the forum organized by the civil society groups, he said that it would also assist the police to perform better.
Imohimi, while appointing a senior police officer, SP Abubakar Aliyah from the X-Squad, as a member of the forum, promised to monitor the activities of the forum,
Also, 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”.
Nwanguma said that the forum was formed with a view to having regular engagement and interaction with the Lagos State Police Command on issues of police accountability.
“The platform is to stand as a liaison between the police and the communities.
“This is with a view to deepening partnership between the police and the communities they serve and to improve public safety and security.
“We want to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of the various complaints and disciplinary mechanisms within the Lagos State Police Command and the feedback system.
“We want to have a formalized and structured engagement with them, contribute to strengthening them and promoting police accountability,” he said.
Nwanguma commended Imohimi for his human rights record, noting that he was one of the best commissioners in the country with a good human rights police command.
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