House of Representatives has called for a ban on police officers consuming alcohol and other hard substances “capable of inhibiting their sense of reasoning”.
This was sequel to the adoption of a motion of “urgent public importance” by a member from Lagos state, Babajide Obanikoro, at plenary.
Leading the debate, Mr Obanikoro recounted a recent shooting incident wherein “without any altercation, one of the officers shot dead Mrs Raheem who was seven months pregnant with twins, on the spot”.
Mr Obanikoro recalled that a similar incident happened on December 7 when officers from the same police station gunned down a young man, sparking unrest.
He expressed concern that such incidents happen often across the country, adding that the officers usually got away with “killing innocent citizens” they swore to protect.
Adopting the motion, the house demanded for a “thorough investigation” of the killing as well as other cases of “extrajudicial murder” committed by police officers.
The lawmakers also agreed that the provisions of the Nigerian Police Act dealing with the general conduct of officers should be reviewed.
RN
