The Nigeria Police has described the
photograph published by us , which showed a senior police officer in the act of
fondling the breast of an unknown lady, as fake. It said the picture, which
went viral on the Internet, was deliberately fabricated with the aid of Adobe
Photoshop technology to mislead the public.
The alleged amorous scene, the police
authorities claimed, did not take place and the officer had nothing to do with
the woman.
The police said it arrived at this
conclusion after interrogating the policeman, who was seen in the type of
uniform worn by officers of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.
On the official Facebook page of the
police, the affected police officer was quoted as saying, “I don’t know this
lady. I never took the picture with her.”
However, the authorities did not name
the police officer nor give the details of the command where he is serving.
The police said that though it does
not forbid its rank and file to pose with members of the public for
photographs, it would not tolerate any display of affection for the opposite
sex in full public glare.
“An image showing one of our officers
in a compromising position with a lady has gone viral. Please check the hands
in the so-called picture that is in circulation and you will agree that they
were photo-shopped.
“Other citizens of this country are
encouraged to pose for snapshots with our uniformed officers if they so desire,
just as it is done worldwide. What we discourage is public display of affection
by our uniformed officers,” it said.
After it appeared online, the
controversial photograph provoked widespread condemnation from many Nigerians
who have described the development as an act of indiscipline.
Claiming to be policemen, some people
wrote on the police Facebook page that the phot0graph was the handiwork of
mischief makers, who were clearly determined to drag the name of the security
agency in mud.
They said that no uniformed officer
of the rank of ACP would be so careless as to pose for a photograph in
such a compromising position with a lady.
One Oluwasegun Samuel-Alalade commented
on the wall of the Facebook page. “I know it is not real. Even a fresh recruit
undergoing training at the Police College will not do such a thing, not to
mention a top ranking officer. The Nigeria Police Force should kindly disregard
the photograph, “ he wrote.
Also Kabiesy Ojeabulu wrote,
“Photoshop or no Photoshop, all I have to say is that the Inspector General of
Police, Mohammed Abubakar, should always investigate issues before taking
actions. It appears that a large section of the general public does not like
the police. So they fabricate anything to tarnish our image. God help us all.”
Another policeman, Adegbola Olafiyin,
stated, “I don’t know the offence we committed to deserve this from the public.
Imagine here in the state where I am serving, commercial motorcycle riders will
not give you a ride despite the fact that you have your money. This whole thing
amounts to blackmail.”
But some Nigerians have disagreed
with the police authorities on the status of the controversial photograph. They
insist that it appears more real than fabricated.
On cknnigeria.com,
one Lanre Bewaji wrote: “There are many angles to this picture. It is obvious
the lady took the picture and the officer consented to it. No matter how
awkward the scenario looks, if the lady was his wife or fiancée, would there be
an issue? Until we know the real circumstances behind this picture, the matter
is neither here nor there!”
In a tweet to the police, Hyke
Ekeanyanwu expressed doubt that the photograph was faked. He said, “I may agree
that the hand holding the breast was photo-shopped, but I will not agree that
the hand around his (police officer’s) neck does not belong to the lady.”
Wale Bolanle, also on Facebook,
queried,“What do you want us to believe? What else do you want him to say? He
must surely deny. Is he not a human being?”
Tags
Society