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By John Ogunsemore
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi has cautioned Nigerians against resorting to self-help during disagreements with policemen.
Babaseyi issued the note of warning in an X post on Thursday.
He was reacting to a viral video circulating on social media showing a motorist trapping a policeman’s arm with his car window to prevent forceful opening of his car door.
While the cause of the disagreement could not be ascertained, the undated 15-second video shows at least four other policemen surrounding the vehicle.
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Reacting to the incident, Babaseyi said the motorist was wrong to pin the policeman’s arm inside his vehicle.
He said the act was unlawful and could attract criminal charges if the policeman got injured.
The Ogun police command spokesman said, “Deliberately trapping a police officer’s hand in a car window while the officer is performing lawful duty amounts to assault and obstruction of a public officer under the Criminal Code Act and the Police Act 2020.
“It is an unlawful act against a fellow human being carrying out lawful responsibilities and may attract criminal charges, especially if injury occurs.”
He said that instead of taking the law into their hands, the public should report erring policemen through the Nigeria Police Force Complaint Response Unit (CRU), a 24/7 service designed to receive and resolve complaints of police misconduct, corruption, and brutality from the public.
