The acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday in Ibadan urged Nigerians to stop taking complaints against police officers to social media.
Mr Egbetokun advised stakeholders meeting at the headquarters of the Oyo Police Command, stating that “There are a lot of falsehoods going on on the social media.”
The stakeholders’ meeting was attended by representatives of traditional and religious leaders and the leadership of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII).
There were also in attendance leaders of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Igbo and Hausa communities.
The IGP said Nigerians should feel free to report any complaint against police officers to the commissioners of police or any other senior officer that would ensure justice is done.
“If you have any complaint against the police, don’t go to social media. Go to the commissioners of police in the state,” said Mr Egbetokun.
He noted, “Some of our men will misbehave; we cannot guarantee that all of them will behave well. Report to the CPs or any superior officer who will take it up and ensure justice is done.”
Mr Egbetokun said his mission in police administration was to put in place professional, service-driven, law-compliant and people-friendly police officers.
He said he desired a police force that would respond adequately to the dynamics of crime and criminality in society and “ensure citizens sleep with their two eyes closed.”
“We are going to adopt community policing by taking cognisance of certain peculiarities of each community through collaboration with other security agencies and state-owned security outfits to fight and reduce crime,” the acting IGP said.
He called for the cooperation and support of all stakeholders to achieve results and rid society of crime and criminality.
In his remarks, the national chairman of PCRC, Ibrahim Olaniyan, pledged the committee’s readiness to key into the community policing strategy of the IGP.
Also speaking, the chairman of CCII, Niyi Ajewole, said Oyo State and Nigeria have started witnessing good results immediately after Mr Egbetokun took over as the acting I-G.
The IGP was at the meeting with a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Sylvester Alabi, and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of the Force’s Zone II, Yomi Oladimeji.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Adebola Hamzat, and several others were also with him.