All Commissioners of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the nation have been given maximum security by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to facilitate the planned peaceful protest by retired police officers.
Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the force’s public relations officer, made this known in a statement.
He also warned against spreading false information about the Monday protests that are scheduled to take place nationwide.
The IGP stated on Sunday that the protest should serve as a model for dignified expression of grievance and that the rights of our retired officers who have chosen to protest must be protected.
READ ALSO: Police Explain Their Position on Retired Officers’ Protest, Pledge Security, and Respect.
According to Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, some stories were purposefully altered to defame the Nigeria Police Force’s current leadership and undermine the Federal Government.
He claimed that retired officers had been urged to leave the 401(k) contribution pension system in recent memory.
According to him, he claimed that while agitation had been supported by previous IGPs, progress had been hampered by interagency friction, statutory limitations, and fiscal constraints.
He warned against “disruptive and manipulative” attempts by some individuals to politicize the retirees’ complaints.
He continued, “It is disappointing to watch how some actors have chosen to politicize a sensitive welfare issue by using obscene means to sabotage our retired colleagues’ legitimate grievances.”
Therefore, the IGP gave the order to all CPs to ensure that the protest was conducted peacefully within their respective jurisdictions, particularly in the FCT and other states where formal notice has been given.
He directed them to sensibilize officers and men under their control regarding the constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, prevent any hijacking of the protest by miscreants, political actors, or non-retired agitators, and provide adequate security coverage to retired colleagues who had chosen to publicly express their grievances.
He urged the CPs to respect their retired colleagues as much as they did when deploying intelligence and operational resources to safeguard institutional integrity, maintain public order, and protect lives.
Source: Channels TV
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