By: Mandy Park
The Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) has accused the commissioner of Police Lagos State, Jimoh Moshood of bias during the June 12 protest which held at the Ikeja Under Bridge.
A statement signed by YRC National Secretary, Francis Nwapa alleged that the Lagos Police boss collaborated with a stalwart of APC, Best Nze-Jumbo to allow a parallel rally of the party officials hold simultaneously at the venue of the June 12 protesters without any hindrance, while their protest faced obstruction from police plus even a threat from the police commissioner to “smoke them out.”
The group accused CP Jimoh of displaying double standards in enforcing the law, allowing APC supporters to barricade roads while restricting anti-government protesters .
The YRC demanded CP Jimoh’s resignation and a public apology from the Lagos State Police Command.
The statement reads: “Just like his predecessors, as most commissioners of police are never shy of being the lapdog of the ruling elites especially the ones in power, CP Moshood Jimoh in his conduct as a high-ranking police officer didn’t fall short of that standard.
“Yesterday during the June 12 nationwide protest in Lagos, the chairman of APC in Lagos State and a paid consultant to the Lagos State Government, Best Nze-Jombo, mobilized APC members, mercenaries and poor Nigerians that are victims of weaponized poverty to organize a counter rally at the same venue where civil society organizations had picked as a convergence venue for their protest.
“In what looked like a deliberate attempt to provoke the anti-government protesters, CP Moshood Jimoh stationed his men almost right in our midst ostensibly to ensure free flow of traffic while the APC supporters who were just opposite the protesters were allowed to barricade the roads and hinder flow of traffic.
“Upon my challenge to CP Moshood Jimoh as to why the double standard, an argument ensued between him and the YRC National Secretary which prompted him to immediately threaten “I will smoke you all”. Upon hearing this we were left in dismay as to the professionalism of such a high-ranking police officer in conflict resolution.
“Under the watch of CP Moshood Jimoh, while anti-government protesters were on procession towards Ojota, the pro-government agents kept driving their large musical truck into our procession in a bid to cause distraction, drown our voices with their sound and provoke us. Infact at some point, Best Nze-Jombo came into our midst while taking pictures of speakers and protesters. Despite these provocations, the police did nothing.
“CP Moshood Jimoh has clearly demonstrated that he lacks the ability or integrity to be an unbiased police officer capable of maintaining law and order in Lagos State. We see these shameful actions of a high-ranking police officer like CP Moshood Jimoh as a public announcement of his membership of the APC.
“Again, while CP Moshood Jimoh tried to latch on a Jankara court order obtained by the Lagos State Attorney General last August during the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Protest in Lagos to restrict protesters in Lagos into a park at Ojota, he didn’t apply this order to APC supporters who barricaded the road at Ikeja underbridge.
“We condemn this double standard by CP Moshood Jimoh and demand his resignation and a public apology from the Lagos State Police Command over the CP not just threatening to smoke peaceful protesters but also his alliance with APC supporters and mercenaries who tried all they could to disrupt our protest yesterday.”