Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has said Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun did not instruct Nigerians to assault officers during stop-and-search operations.
This came after Egbetokun recently ordered police officers to stop arbitrary arrests and desist from searching people’s smartphones.
The spokesman of the force, Muyiwa Adejobi said the IGP has never encouraged violence against law enforcement agents, adding that the blog post insinuating such was false.
The statement reads, “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to address a viral fake news story that has emerged, claiming that Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has instructed citizens to physically assault and throw stones at police officers who request to search their phones.”
“This claim is entirely false and has no basis in reality. The IGP has not issued any such directive encouraging violence against law enforcement officers.”
“Instead, he has called on citizens to report instances of police misconduct through appropriate channels.”
“This approach underscores the importance of accountability and maintaining the rule of law, rather than resorting to violent actions.”
“Members of the public are urged to make use of the following Police helplines & contacts to lay complaints whenever necessary: +2347056792065, +2349133333785, +2349133333786, @PoliceNG on X, @ngpolice on Facebook, and @nigeriapoliceforce on Instagram.”
“Citizens can also contact us by mail through; pressforabuja@police.gov.ng and reach us through the police website at npf.gov.ng.”
