…Advise police personnel to focus on their primary responsibilities
The Integrity Youth Alliance, an organisation that has monitored developmental trends in the Nigeria Police Force for over 15 years, has raised serious concerns over the planned police protest being championed by self-proclaimed activist Omoyele Sowore and has called for caution.
In a press release issued on Tuesday in Lagos, the National Coordinator, Kelvin Adegbenga, stated that Sowore is fully aware that it constitutes mutiny for police personnel to engage in protests, yet he is mobilising them to do so, thereby exposing them to possible dismissal and criminal prosecution.
“Across the world, security agencies have established channels to express their grievances. Encouraging active police officers to join a protest amounts to inciting mutiny. Under Nigerian law, mutiny is a criminal offence with potentially severe consequences, affecting individuals, institutions, and national stability.
“We view Sowore’s planned protest as a conspiracy to commit a treasonable felony by orchestrating a police demonstration aimed at undermining the authority of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We also regard Sowore’s social media posts as cybercrime offences, designed to incite insult, enmity, hatred, and ill-will against the person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Sowore’s planned police protest could result in widespread disorder. It risks compromising law enforcement, endangering public safety, and may embolden others to defy lawful authority—thereby eroding public confidence in the institutions charged with protecting and serving the nation.”
In conclusion, the Alliance urged all police personnel to remain focused on their primary responsibilities: the prevention and detection of crime, the protection of life and property, the preservation of law and order, and the enforcement of laws and regulations.
