A political and civil society pressure group operating under the aegis of The Renewal Group (TRG) has raised the alarm over human rights abuses being perpetrated by officers of the Lagos State command of the Nigeria Police in the state.
Addressing a press conference in the Maryland area of Lagos, the convener of the group, Mr. Lai Omotola, lamented that policing in Lagos was fast becoming an embarrassment.
He expressed concern over what he described as recurring allegations of corruption, abuse of office, land grabbing, human rights violations, disregard for court orders, and unlawful demolition of private property.
Omotola urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately set up a panel of enquiry on the activities of the Lagos State Police Command and its senior officers.
He said in a situation where officers being paid with taxpayer’s money were now being used by land speculators to take over peoples land was appalling.
The organisation warned that failure to urgently address the situation could escalate into a security challenge within Lagos State.
He emphasised that the group focused on policing in Lagos State because of the urgent need to return the state that prides itself as a Centre of Excellence to real excellence in terms of civic engagement, education and infrastructure development.
Omotola said the seeming derailment was regrettable because the British had bestowed on the country a strong police force fashioned after the British Police system.
He lamented that the Taskforce on Environmental Sanitation had since abandoned its term of reference and moved to the highways, trampling on citizen’s rights under the guise of enforcement.
