* IGP Condemns Destruction Of Properties In Lagos, Says Culprits Will Be Arrested
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has condemned the recent destruction of properties in Lagos and other parts of the country.
During a visit to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the state House in Marina on Tuesday, Adamu said the Nigeria Police Force is tracking down the culprits.
“Lagos was the epicenter where the #EndSARS protest took place and the number of destruction in the subsequent violence was more in Lagos than any other part. I came to commiserate with the Governor and people of the State. The destruction they suffered was uncalled for,” he said.
“The second leg of my visit is to see the police stations destroyed and boost the morale of our men in Lagos. We don’t want them to be demoralized by the event in which they suffered personal attacks.
“Policemen are trained to take such pain. Now that the event has happened, it shouldn’t discourage us from performing our constitutional duties.”
While noting that the morale of some officers had dampened in the light of the violence, the police chief said his visit is meant to encourage them to give their all in protecting the lives and properties of the citizens.
Adamu said the scale of the destruction witnessed in Lagos and around the country called for the need to adopt standard protocols for public protests.
“It is very important to set up protocols that will prevent hoodlums to hijack peaceful protest organized with good intentions. The moment the protest organizers don’t have leadership, the purpose and intent of the effort would be defeated.
“As we have seen in the case of #EndSARS protest, no economy will be able to bear the loss that we have seen in Lagos,” he added.
Adamu visited some of the assets torched in Lagos, including the vandalized palace of the Oba of Lagos.
On his part, Governor Sanwo-Olu commiserated with the IGP over the mob attacks on police personnel and torching of their stations.
Despite the violence visited on the police formations by hoodlums who hijacked the protest, the governor commended the officers in the State Police Command for exercising restraint in the face of the attacks.
Sanwo-Olu informed Adamu of the move by the state government to rebuild the razed police stations and offer scholarship awards to the children of the officers killed in the violence.
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