Policing the lockdown is NPF's duty not Army - Nigerian lawyer, Dr Omole

A Nigerian lawyer, identified as Dr Charles Omole, has said that it is the Nigeria Police Force officers' duty to ensure citizens abide by the lockdown orders and not the army.

Speaking on Twitter, the business expert and author believes that it is unnecessary to put out the army in order to punish offenders of the lockdown order.

He also added that the police, at this period, should see to it that the citizens' protection is of top priority and not otherwise.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), initiated the two-weeks lockdown on Sunday to ensure the curb of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.

The curfew, according to the president's directives, is binding on Lagos, Abuja and Ogun States.

As of March 32, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 131 cases of the deadly virus with two deaths.

Dr Omole said:

"Policing the lockdown announced for LAGOS, Abuja and then Ogun states is the job for the NPF and nothing to do with the Army. It is strange how our military always seems too eager to get involved in civil enforcement that they are not trained for.

And for the police, they need to demonstrate the best tradition of policing excellence which believes that policemen are citizens in uniform. Hence they are not members of a different hierarchy operating just at the government's command. Their loyalty must be to the Constitution.

This is a global pandemic and police officers are humans too. In New York City alone it is reported that almost 800 officers have contracted the virus so far in the line of duty. So the NPF officers need to be disciplined and put on the best of their humanity.

As a nation; We cannot enforce our way out of this problem. So harassing folks will not help. We will get out of this problem because Nigerians want to solve the problem, and we'll get out of it because the police and the public work together and not against each other.

NPF officers must nurture the trust and confidence of the public and maintain the best tradition of policing by consent which builds public support and promotes community cooperation. They should look out for vulnerable people and use minimum enforcement regime in most situations

These are difficult times for all of us and we can only get through it if we truly work together. Police should also focus on safeguarding closed businesses & offices. They should be armed with details of where govt help is situated. I wish all our police officers safe outings."