Lagos CP Walk Journalist Out Of Police Premises



The Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja and Lagos branches, the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council, and some lawyers have condemned the action of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, who on Tuesday ordered a correspondent of The PUNCH, Kunle Falayi, out of the premises of the police command headquarters in Ikeja.
Some of the lawyers, who spoke separately with our correspondents on Wednesday, also demanded a public apology from Manko, describing his action as a constitutional breach.
Manko prevented Falayi  from covering a press briefing addressed by him.
The grouse of the CP was a story published in The PUNCH on Tuesday titled, ‘Guard shot by policemen in critical condition.’
However, speaking on behalf of the Lagos branch of the NBA, its Chairman, Mr. Taiwo Taiwo, said the CP’s action smacks of “arrogance and show of power” characteristic of a military regime.
Taiwo described the action as condemnable and reminded Manko that Nigeria was no longer in the military era, adding that the CP ought to know that public institutions were always under public scrutiny in a democratic setting.
He said, “The action of the Commissioner of Police shows that he is intolerant of criticism. Even if the reporter was wrong, as a public officer, he ought to tell the journalist the truth from the police point of view.
“It smacks of arrogance and show of power to treat the journalist the way he was treated.
“As a matter of fact, the police command is a public place and not the personal property of the CP. The CP must be reminded that we are in a democracy and as such all actions of public officials must be people-oriented as their actions are always under public scrutiny.”
A human rights lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, demanded an apology from Manko and asked the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, to caution him.
He argued that Manko acted unconstitutionally, adding that a journalist had a duty to inform the public about “the goings-on in public institutions such as the Nigeria Police.”
Aturu said, “The decision of the CP to order a journalist out, in my view, is extremely condemnable. In a civilised country, such an act is unacceptable.”
Another lawyer and consultant, Mr. Fred Agbaje, also demanded a public apology from Manko, saying the CP’s action was “wholly illegal” and amounted to “an unpardonable assault on our constitution.”
He urged Falayi to sue the police boss for damages for the “embarrassment and assault on him.”
Agbaje said, “The CP should be told in no unmistakable terms that Nigeria of today is running a democracy with the rule of law, constitutionalism and respect for the civil/constitutional rights of the citizens, including, but not limited to the right to gather and garner information (except as constitutionally permissible derogations in Section 45 of the same constitution) as the underlining factors.
“Anything short of the limitations as contained in Section 45 of the constitution including the conduct of the CP is wholly illegal and an unpardonable assault on our constitution.”
He advised the CP to invest his energy on combating the high crime in the state “rather than wasting his time running after a hapless citizen doing his lawful job, particularly as it relates to stories on which the police PRO department has made its contribution.”
A lawyer and activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who expressed shock over the development, lampooned the CP for trying to “gag the truth.”
He also called for an investigation into the activities of the Lagos State Police Command, which in his view; probably has “a skeleton in its cupboard.”
He said, “It is totally a condemnable act, meant purely to intimidate the press and gag the truth. Against the backdrop of the Freedom of Information Act, it is never expected that any public officer, least of all, the one saddled with the prevention and detection of crime, will try to hide his activities from the public.
“I therefore urge the Nigerian Union of Journalists and indeed the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the activities of the Lagos State Police Command, in order to unravel all skeletons that may still be hiding in the cupboards of the Command. We cannot afford a police formation that is totally anti-people.”
He said the office of the CP is a public place which every citizen must have an unhindered access to, adding that public officers ought to accord necessary respect and dignity to every Nigerian as stipulated in Section 34 of the constitution.
PUNCH Metro had on Monday and Tuesday reported that a banker, Femi Badejo, and a security guard, Joshua Musa, were shot by policemen who had responded to a distress call, to foil a robbery at the victims’ home in Ikota, Lagos on Saturday.
It was reported that when the policemen got to the house one hour after the robbery, they opened fire indiscriminately on the residents, injuring two of them.
Also, the Chairman, NBA Ikeja branch, Mr. Monday Ubani, and the General Secretary, Mr. Adereti Adegbite, said Manko’s action was “unguarded” and “in bad taste.”
Ubani said, “Walking out a journalist who has come to cover a news conference called at the CP’s instance is clearly in bad taste. No one should behave in a way that shows that he or she has something to hide.”
On his part, Adegbite said the office of the Commissioner of Police demands the highest sense of “responsibility, maturity and professionalism,” adding that Manko’s action was uncalled for.
He said, “If the Command felt aggrieved because of a news story, there are ways of putting things in proper perspective and that is why there is an office of the Police Public Relations Officer.
“That office should have liaised with the media house in question and forwarded a rejoinder with concrete evidence, or better still, address a news conference on it.
“I hope the Inspector-General of Police (Muhammed Abubakar) would give proper directive to the CP on the proper mode to address this situation when such issues crop up again.”
Adegbite urged journalists to remain undaunted in their quest to make the public aware of the ills in the Nigerian society.
The Chairman of NUJ in the state, Mr. Deji Elumoye, said the CP “played God” by ordering the journalist out.
He said, “The CP in actual fact over reacted by sending out a journalist from a press conference and that singular action is unwarranted and unbecoming of a senior police officer. 
“We take an exception to this action. We see it as an infringement on the freedom of expression and movement. We are currently seeking legal opinion of our lawyers in order to take a proper action against the CP and seek redress.”
Elumoye explained that the CP should have expended time and energy in ensuring the security of lives and property in the state rather than descend so low and act in such a despicable manner.
He said, “In the last two weeks, there has been an upsurge in armed robbery and even some of his men were killed over the weekend. Instead of addressing such security challenges, he is preventing a journalist from carrying out his constitutional duties.”

CKN NEWS

Chris Kehinde Nwandu is the Editor In Chief of CKNNEWS || He is a Law graduate and an Alumnus of Lagos State University, Lead City University Ibadan and Nigerian Institute Of Journalism || With over 2 decades practice in Journalism, PR and Advertising, he is a member of several Professional bodies within and outside Nigeria || Member: Institute Of Chartered Arbitrators ( UK ) || Member : Institute of Chartered Mediators And Conciliation || Member : Nigerian Institute Of Public Relations || Member : Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria || Fellow : Institute of Personality Development And Customer Relationship Management || Member and Chairman Board Of Trustees: Guild Of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria

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