Yusuf Bello| The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Friday asked police officers across the country to protect themselves against attacks.
The IGP, alleged that the #EndSARS protesters were out to demoralise the personnel, noted that men and officers have the right to defend themselves when faced with the possibility of physical harm.
Adamu who stated this during an assessment tour of the FCT Police Command, encouraged the operatives who had abandoned the streets for the past five days following the killing of over 20 policemen in the violence that rocked the country to rturn to thier beat.
He added that the government and the Nigeria Police Force would soon roll out packages for the families of the deceased officers.
Adamu said, “The unity of this country lies in the support that is given to police officers because if you are demoralised, the tendency is for criminals to take over the public space and the country is relying on us to make sure that the public space is not taken over by the criminals. So no amount of provocation, no amount of insult would make us shy away from our responsibilities.
“Inasmuch as we are aware that the government is behind us; so, we would encourage you to keep performing your duties. We would encourage you to be professional, to be civic, but if anybody touches you, if anybody comes to assault you, you can also protect yourself.
“When we talk of human rights, the police are human; so, the rights of police officers would also be protected. So, we are sending the message that legally, we have the right to protect ourselves.”
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