The Nigerian Police Force will not tolerate any claim of “accidental discharge” by its officers henceforth, a spokesperson said Thursday.
Speaking Thursday, the spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said it was the police’s responsibility to provide security and safety for every citizen.
“There is nothing like ‘accidental discharge’,” he said. “Every gun has a safety mode. We would deal with any police officer that says that and charge him or her for murder. We will not spare such a person.” He said the police has more widows and orphans than any other establishment in Nigeria.
He was speaking at a media chat organized by a non-governmental organization, 1-Nigeria Initiative.
Mr. Ojukwu also lamented that “the system” did not adequately recognize and compensate members of the Force. “We have more widows and orphans in the police than anywhere else and we are not even recognized or compensated,” he said.
He disclosed that the Force has trained a lot of officers called the Vigilante Support Officers to help coordinate vigilante groups on how to operate within communities.
