The Police Command in Delta State has given reasons why it did not reveal the identity of its officer arrested as a suspect following the death of a young man allegedly shot by a police officer in Effurun, Delta State, news.ng reports.
In an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, Bright Edafe, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), while addressing the issue, said that since the suspect is an officer, he is first a Nigerian entitled to the rights and privileges every citizen has.
He explained that the law is against parading suspects before the media and that suspects must go through the processes stipulated by law.
“It’s part of the criteria to be a police officer. You must be a Nigerian, and the Nigerian constitution has stated it clearly that media parade is not the way forward,” Edafe said. He explained that even in cases involving kidnappers, armed robbers, defilement suspects, and rape suspects, the police either blur faces, cover faces, or present suspects from behind to protect their rights.
He emphasized that the police try to protect the rights of suspects involved in kidnapping, rape, and child molestation, noting that the same applies to suspected officers.
He stated, “By this man being a police officer, who is now a suspect, that does not take away the right of a Nigerian from him. That was why we had to do that. Let it not look like, oh, why this thing now? A police officer, now you decide to open it, because it is the same rule that governs every Nigerian.”
While the public has a different opinion on the police protecting the identity of the suspect, Edafe noted that police duties must be carried out within the ambit of the law and not based on people’s opinions.
“If you ask me personal opinion, I may want to put his face out there. But I have rules of engagement that apply to all Nigerians, and I have to toe that path. We don’t operate on emotions or what people think. We have to follow the rule as it is written,” he added.
