By Ishola Adeleke, YeyeNews.com, November 21, 2021
Henceforth police officers on checkpoints will be ‘armed’ with only koboko (horsewhip) and batons to avoid the incessant cases of accidental discharges that has resulted in the death of hundreds of road users over the years. This decision was reached at the meeting of the Police Service Commission (PSC) in Abuja, a source in the meeting disclosed to YeyeNews.com. “The PSC has resolved that henceforth the Inspector General of Police should ensure officers and men manning checkpoints on highways will not bear any lethal weapons during such duties. They will only be in possession of batons and horsewhips. The policy is meant to curb the killing and maiming of road users due to accidental discharge”, the source revealed.
When asked if the policy will not expose the officers to the danger of attack by armed assailants, the source assured that the policy made adequate provision to safeguard them. “For every officer without lethal weapons at a checkpoint there is a well armed officer on patrol duties nearby. There will be a strong linkage between the armed patrol team and their koboko wielding colleagues at the checkpoints. So the former will always be available to intervene in the event that the latter is in any danger. The patrol teams are strictly prohibited from stop and search duties. So any interaction between road users and armed police officers will be nearly eliminated”.
Some road users have welcomed the decision of PSC. They wondered why in the first instance a armed police officer will be on the road to be checking vehicle particulars. “Checking vehicle particulars does not require an armed man. It is something that should be done in a very civil manner. So I think this policy is well though out. Let those armed officers be strictly on crime fighting duties. This will bring some sanity back to the interactions between road users and the police”, one vehicle owner told YeyeNews.com reporter.
