‘No officer has the right to check your mobile phone,’ says Lagos Police PRO, Dolapo Badmus
The thorny issue of the Nigerian Police indiscriminate search of the mobile phones of pedestrians has been a problem for a long time. In spite of the mandate issued last year January by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, banning this act, these illegal searches and molestation still rages on, with the police using the excuse of investigating yahoo boys as a ruse to extort their victims.
The Lagos State Police PRO, Dolapo Badmus, recently shed some light on the issue in an LIB exclusive, where she said this kind of police search is wrong.
In her words: “Your phone is private, it’s your private property because people do a lot of private stuffs on their mobile phones, so it’s wrong. Police officers have no right to do that except there is a reasonable ground to do so.”
Watch the video below:
We have rights now???Tell that to the Nigerian Police. Wait!! She IS d Nigerian police??
No. That’s not your only choice. You have the choice of standing up and firm for your rights even with the threat of their beating. The police are bullies who get stronger becos they have Nigerian citizens all figured out as people who don’t like to endure pain or any inconvenience. We should stop having this defeatist mentality; it enables the brutality of corrupt policemen
People in general don’t like pain. Nigerians tend to give in mostly because they don’t believe that they could stand up, suffer a little and claim their freedom.
Basically you knew people to call.. What about us who don’t have anyone to call?
Really?
That’s the best you could come up with?
I didn’t have to call anyone,simply stood my ground.
Showing you’re educated and know the law helps a lot
when they slap you, and file kidnapping and robbery charges against you. you’d have no choice than to give them.
We have two problems: 1) Nigerian Legal System is epileptic. That’s why the po po can abuse their powers and not get shit for it. 2) This is more like a symptom of the first one, but most Nigerians don’t access to good legal counsels and solicitors.
I’m the meantime, the police can afford to blow hot and cold and mess upandan.
On 2 occasions I stood my ground and didnt allow them check my phones, I was threatened, and they said they would arrest and detain me, but I was adamant on not giving them my fones, I had to call a lawyer friend and a police DPO before they budged and let me go.
It goes beyond saying. They should take effect. After all, the IG had previously said something similar and yet, the horror still continued.
It’s wrong. People be app-locking their phones like it’s CBN. This Dolapo woman should enforce her statement. Put it into law.
Those rascals you put at checkpoints won’t heed. I know it.