This is the Statement issued by Force Headquarters.
The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to publications in the Punch Newspaper of 21st October, 2017, pages 22 & 23 “Men Swapped for Murder Suspects by Police DIG seek N250m compensation and “How Police DIG charged Murder Victim’s Family to Court, Released Main Suspects” on Pages 16 & 17 of Saturday Punch of October 14th 2017” credited to one “Nonye Ben-Nwankwo”.
The allegations raised in the two reports were studied and found out to have emanated from two (2) separate cases; Land Grabbing Related Case and (ii) Arson and Murder Cases where loss of lives and massive destruction of properties were recorded in Oriyanrin and Ilagbo communities in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State.
These cases were investigated by the Police in Lagos State and the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) and eventually charged to court upon which the cases were referred to Directorate of Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice, Lagos State for Legal Advice.
While the Nigeria Police Force resists comment on a matter already in court, the Force cannot ignore the damaging effects of the publications on the hard earned integrity of the Nigeria Police Force and that of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) and other officers that investigated the two cases if the record is not set straight and the public informed on the true position of things.
Consequently, the Force wishes to disabuse the minds of the Public most especially those who must have read the story that it is misleading, not correct and distortion of facts aimed at misinforming the public to assert that “Men Swapped for Murder Suspects by Police DIG seek N250m compensation and “How Police DIG charged Murder Victim’s Family to Court, Released Main Suspects” as reported on Pages 16 & 17 of Saturday Punch of October 14th 2017”.
All the suspects indicted in the two cases were charged to court and remanded to prison custody. There was no swap of any suspect by the DIG as erroneously and maliciously claimed by the writer.
Police actions in the two cases were in good faith to ensure that justice prevails. It is incumbent on the Force to educate the writer of the story that Police actions terminate where cases are taken to court and any aggrieved party is allowed to seek redress in court for any violation or reason whatsoever where miscarriage of justice is suspected.
The Force therefore, sees the two Newspaper reports as deliberate attempts to cast aspersions on the discreet investigation carried out by the Nigeria Police Force to pervert the end justice, as the purported Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) advice quoted in the publications has not been received by the Nigeria Police Force.
While the Police will continue to abide by verdicts and pronouncements from court on these matters, the parties involved and the media are implored to allow the proceedings in court to be fully exhausted and not embark on campaign of calumny against the Nigeria Police Force and its officers.
The Media and the Nigeria Police Force are partners in ensuring a just and equitable society where justice reigns supreme, the press should not allow the pages of their esteemed Newspapers to be used to cause mischief and misinform the Public.
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