Police justify brutality on June 12 peaceful protesters, say use of tear gas complies with global standards

The Nigerian Police had on Saturday justified the perceived ‘brutality’ on June 12 peaceful protesters across the country on Nigeria’s Democracy Day anniversary. The police stated that the use of tear gas on June 12 protesters on Saturday who were agitating against bad governance, insecurity, kidnapping and leadership failures, complied with global best practices.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Force Headquarters, Abuja, Commissioner of Police   Frank Mba, had in a media interaction in Abuja, emphasised that the police officers deployed to the venues of the mass action in major cities performed their duties in line with international best practices of dispersing violent protests.

The police were in the early hours of Saturday fired tear gas at the June 12 protesters in Lagos, Oshogbo in Osun State and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

CP Mba admitted that the use of tear gas was an isolated case in Abuja on violent protesters.

According to Mba, “We had an isolated case in Abuja where some of the protesters became unruly and in line with international best practices, police fired teargas at them.”

The FPRO argued: “And that is an acceptable mode of engaging violent protesters anywhere in the world, whether it is in Abuja, Lagos, Paris, London, or New York or California. That is internationally accepted.”

CP Mba maintained: “We would have problems if we had fired live bullets at them, but when you fire tear gas at protesters to disperse them, you are not in breach of any known code, either nationally or internationally.

“I also want to use this opportunity to state clearly that no citizen, either in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano or anywhere, is currently in detention as a result of this isolated incident.

“As long as protesters conduct themselves within the confines of the law; they do not constitute themselves into nuisance, they do not breach the rights of other citizens, they do not obstruct traffic, they do not compel other citizens to join their protests, the police will largely work with them.

“When you protest in contravention of these set of conditions I have given, clearly you are coming in direct conflict with the laws of the land, and the police will never stand by idly and watch you create problems for the entire polity.”