POLICE RECALL MOPOL OFFICERS FROM POSTING TO PREPARE FOR PROTEST

POLICE RECALL MOPOL OFFICERS FROM POSTINGS TO PREPARE FOR PROTEST

The Nigerian Police have recalled some of its Mobile Police (MOPOL) in a temporary withdrawal schedule from different places in preparation for the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.

This was confirmed in a police communication in Lagos State.

The authorities of the mobile police stated that the move became necessary in view of the upcoming protest.

“In view of the planned Nationwide protest, it becomes imperative to temporarily withdraw some of the personnel attached to you in order to muster sufficient officers to dominate public space,” the police MOPOL squadron leader said.

The statement further that “the development was part of proactive necessary measures to enhance operational capacity/capability of the squadron and your understanding in the above regard is highly solicited.”

Earlier the FCT Police announced deployment of officials for the protest.

A statement signed by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said the move was in anticipation of the planned nationwide protest by some human rights activists and Nigerian youths to publicly express their displeasure over hunger and hardship.

Adeh had said the police command “has proactively deployed material and human resources at the command’s disposal across the nooks and crannies of the nation’s capital”.

She said, “The proactive deployment, which is aimed at ensuring public safety, protection of protesters, and preventing protests from being hijacked by non-state actors, is characterised by visibility policing, the deployment of explosive ordinance devices (EOD) experts and personnel at various strategic locations, raids on identified black spots, uncompleted buildings/shanties, stop and search, vehicular and foot patrol and synergy with sister security agencies.”

A total of 4200 personnel were deployed by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command ahead of the planned #EndBadGovernance in the metropolis.The protest is planned to hold between August 1 and 10.