By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Kayode Aderanti has assured of Police preparedness to partner the Civil Society Organisations to put an end to jungle justice in the country.
Aderanti, who gave the assurance while playing host to members of the Centre for Change, a Civil Society Group, at the conference room of the Zone 2 headquarters, Onikan in Lagos, warned that anyone caught in the act, will be dealt with according to the dictates of the law.
He pointed out that the Nigeria Police is totally against any form of violence, adding that the Inspector General of Police has directed that whoever is alleged to have committed any crime should be allowed to go through the criminal justice, rather than subjecting him or her to jungle justice.
The police chief urged Nigerians to believe in government agencies set up to handle criminal justice, noting that it is when such agencies are not effective that people result to jungle justice.
“It is when the criminal justice is not effective that people result to jungle justice. You have to believe in the police and other agencies set up by government to handle criminal cases. Anybody caught for unleashing violence against others will be dealt with. If anybody offends you, the best place to take such person to is the police station and I assure you that such matter will be treated on its merit”, the AIG stressed.
Aderanti, who also frowned at calls by religious leaders on their adherents to take to arms to protect themselves, said religious leaders are expected to use their churches and mosques to enlighten their adherents against all forms of criminality.
“Some religious leaders encourage their adherents to take to violence, we have to look critically into issues before taking action. When you encourage your followers to take to violence, you encourage illegality, we should allow the law to take its course. If everybody is allowed to take to arms or violence, then we are in trouble”.
In her presentation earlier, President of Centre for Change Dr. Joe Okei Odumakin pointed out that jungle justice is in Nigeria, adding that most people have become the accused, the jury and the judge.
She posited that a lot of innocent people have been caught in the web of jungle justice and killed wrongly for act not committed, warning that such must stop.
Odumakin explained that it becomes imperatives for the Civil Society Organisations to collaborate with the police if the fight against impunity in the society must stop, noting that any society that fails to collaborate with the police will be vulnerable.
“Evil persists when good people fail to do nothing to checkmate it, that is why we came to call on the AIG and his team to become ambassador of change. We must act the change, we must speak the change and be member of the crusade”, the renowned activist and multiple award winner reiterated.
Urging that all Nigerians must join in the task of sanitizing the society of all criminality, Odumakin stressed that “Impunity must not be tolerated in the society, we are not a banana island, sanity must be brought to the society”.
