Lawyers have described the Nigeria Police Force‘s decision to seize unused tyres from vulcanizers as a rights violation with no legal backing.
Reacting to a leaked police wireless message, Lagos-based lawyers Festus Ogun and Ridwan Oke said executing such a directive would mean oppressing vulcanizers and robbing them of their personal properties.
The Ekiti State Police Command, which authored the leaked wireless message, told FIJ they disagreed with those concerns, saying, “Policemen do not steal.”
Concerns were raised after Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), ordered state commissioners of police to seize and dispose of unused tyres ahead of the planned protest scheduled to begin on August 1.
On Wednesday, Adeniran Akinwale, Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, issued a wireless message to all Divisional Police Officers (DPO) in the state to carry out the directive. He said the IGP had held meetings with police chiefs to get them to do so in a bid to prevent violence during the protest.
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Akinwale referenced the IGP’s briefing and instructed the DPOs to go out at midnight to carry out the order so protesters would be unable to make bonfires.
Ekiti CP’s signal
The wireless message reads: “CB:4001/EKS/DOPS/VOL.53/181. Order and directives. Re-nationwide protest against end bad government in Nigeria. In view of the Inspector General of Police conference/briefing with Assistant Inspector General of Police zones and Commissioners of Police in all the states on the above subject. The Commissioner of Police directs you to go out at midnight, raid vulcanizer shops in and around your areas, seize all unused tyres and dispose them off to prevent protesters from using same to set burn fire on the highway.
“Any DPO in whose Area of Operation burn fire occurs will be sanctioned accordingly. All to ensure strict compliance please.”
Speaking with FIJ, Ogun said, “It is outrightly ridiculous and laughable. It does not only underscore the shallowness of thought; it equally violates the right to own property as guaranteed by the constitution. Any attempt to distort the businesses of vulcanizers would constitute an infringement on their property rights and liberty. In place of harassing vulcanizers, police should provide protection for protesters as required by law.
Oke echoed these sentiments. He said there was no legal justification for such a move and enforcing it would economically sabotage vulcanizers.
He said, “When you want to seize tyres, that is the same as doing guesswork. If you go into people’s shops, you are sabotaging them economically and taking their means of livelihood from them. Everyone has a right to earn legitimately.
“If you fear there would be challenges, the right thing is to buy the tyres off them, but that is only if they are willing to sell.”
Abutu Sunday, the Ekiti State police spokesman, sent a text message to FIJ, saying, “The directive became necessary due to an intelligence report received that some miscreants are planning to disturb the peace and movements of innocent citizens in the coming days using available and unused tyres on the street. Of course, peaceful protest is part of the rights of all citizens, but protest characterised by threats, bloodshed and destruction of the properties and lives of innocent citizens is unacceptable.
“Policemen do not steal, please. Take note, the peace of society or our dear state cannot be traded for any personal gain or selfish interest.”
Muyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, told FIJ he was not aware of the development but would find out. As of press time, he had not issued any new information on the topic.
The post ‘No Legal Justification’ — Lawyers, Police Disagree Over Move to Seize Vulcanizers’ Tyres Ahead of Nationwide Protest appeared first on Exposed.Quest The Quest for X !.