by Lanre Olagunju A few days into the administration of Olatunji Rilwan Disu, Inspector General of Police,one sentence from his inaugural address appeared to stick in the national memory: impunity is over. Many Nigerians understandably heard that as a warning to policemen. But perhaps the more interesting interpretation was that the warning was broader: impunity, whoever wears it, has no uniform. That distinction matters. In April, when 28-year-old Mene Ogidi was shot dead in Effurun, Delta State, after police operatives reportedly intercepted him over a parcel containing a Beretta pistol and four rounds of ammunition, the response from the Force was unusually swift. The principal officer, ASP Nuhu Usman, and other members of the team were removed from the command and subjected to disciplinary proceedings. The Force Disciplinary Committee found Usman had acted in gross violation of the rules governing the use of firearms. He and four others were subsequently dismissed, with ...
DISCLAIMER: The Nigeria Police Force disclaims the purported Press Release titled, “IGP OLATUNJI RILWAN DISU DIRECTS COMMENCEMENT OF TRAINING FOR 50,000 NEWLY RECRUITED POLICE CONSTABLES,” currently in circulation and bearing the name and designation of the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, anipr. The document is false and was neither issued nor authorised by the Nigeria Police Force. Members of the public, particularly Police recruitment candidates, are advised to disregard its contents and rely only on information published through the official Police recruitment portal and verified NPF communication channels. The Force is currently on the trail of the persons responsible for generating and circulating the false document and will take appropriate legal action against those found culpable.