The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has condemned those behind some recirculating videos on the internet which show operatives of the Nigeria Police Force complaining about their welfare situation.
IGP Egbetokun lamented that the videos are old and those behind them only want to malign the Nigeria Police Force and undermine National Security.
The IGP, in a statement on Wednesday, by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, cited the video of a Police Mobile Force (PMF) officer lamenting the alleged deplorable conditions faced by officers deployed to Yobe State on operational duty and another video in which an officer attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit of the Force allegedly claimed that banditry is politically motivated and the government is playing with their lives.
He said both videos are old, and the issues raised had been addressed holistically after due investigation.
Egbetokun urged the public to ignore the recirculating videos, as they do not reflect current happenings in the Force, and those behind them are being mischievous.
“The Nigeria Police Force is deeply concerned about the current trend of recirculating old videos on the media space to malign the Nigeria Police Force and undermine National Security.
“The NPF has at various times cautioned against this mischief aimed at portraying the NPF in bad light. The NPF is currently working hard to build trust and confidence of the people but this trend of reposting old videos portraying the present NPF negatively and spreading falsehood against the NPF have serious implications to internal security.
“The extant cases at hand are; a video of a Police Mobile Force (PMF) officer lamenting the alleged deplorable conditions faced by officers deployed to Yobe State on operational duty. The Force wishes to state unequivocally that this video originally surfaced several years back. The issues raised in the video were not taken lightly. Administrative steps were taken and the concerns addressed. The recirculation of this video at this time is a deliberate attempt to bring the institution into disrepute and create panic in the minds of average Nigerians.
“Secondly, an old resurfaced video in which an officer attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit of the Force allegedly claimed that banditry is politically motivated and the government is playing with their lives, sending them to the war front without ammunition and preventing the Counter Force from effectively combating bandits in these disturbed areas. The matter was then investigated, and those allegations were found to be untrue. Upon conclusion of investigation, disciplinary actions were meted against the erring officers for raising false alarm. The NPF categorically refutes and distances itself from the content of this video as it does not conform with the realities in the present Police Force.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., therefore strongly cautions members of the public to be wary of the deliberate spread of falsehood to create tension amongst citizens, and ridicule the Police institution. He further warns mischief makers to desist from such act, as it undermines public confidence in our national security institutions.
“It is pertinent to state that, the Police leadership are taking steps aimed towards improving the welfare of officers and operational efficiency of the Nigeria Police Force, contrary to the false narrative contained in the old videos being recirculated by mischief makers
“The IGP assures the general Public of the unwavering commitment of the Nigeria Police Force under his leadership to proactively combatting all forms of crime and criminality across the country and urge members of the public to refrain from spreading falsehood that may undermine the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement read.
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