Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, met with Usman Baba, the inspector general of police, on Thursday at the Louis Edet House, force headquarters in Abuja, to discuss recent extrajudicial killings committed by trigger-happy police officers in the state and to seek appropriate prosecution.
The Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed in a statement posted on the force’s official Facebook page on Thursday that the pair addressed, among other things, how to ensure swift justice for the victims of the recent shooting occurrences in Lagos State.
Adejobi pointed out that the IGP, while expressing his deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the deceased, assured them that the cases would be meticulously pursued until deserved justice is served. He also stressed that the Force is collaborating with the Lagos State Attorney-General to ensure that the offenders are diligently prosecuted in courts of competent jurisdiction to serve as a deterrent to others.
He continued, “In response, the governor pledged to assist the police in ensuring that justice is served in the ongoing case and to work with them on advocacy programs to help the public understand and respect the law in order to foster better ties with the police.
He also emphasized that his administration will work with the police to conduct training, retraining, and other evaluation processes for police personnel in all parts of their duty as officers of the law.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu also underlined the requirement for some equipment, such as body cameras, non-lethal weapons, etc., to rein in the abuse of authority and strengthen connections between the police and the public.
“The IGP, therefore, charged all officers to imbibe absolute respect for the rule of law and the fundamental rights of all persons, which is the crux and fulcrum of policing services even as he urged citizens to cooperate with police officers for seamless collaborative efforts to stamp out crimes and criminality in the Nigerian society,” according to the statement.
