The police in Lagos have on Wedneday arrested four cops for extrajudicial killing of two suspected robbers in their custody.
The policemen identified as Inspector Fabiyi Omomayara, Sergeant Olaniyi Solomon, Sergeant Solomon Sunday and Corporal Aliyu Mukaila the command said, would be charged with murder because they breached the code of professional conduct and use of fire arms.
The killer cops were seen in a video that surfaced on the social media shooting the suspects alleged to belong to a notorious armed robbery gang terrorising Iba.
It was gathered that the cops had responded to a distress call around 3pm on August 19, from one Valentine Anugu who was robbed of his mobile phone worth N450,000 by four armed robbers on two motorcycles.
While two of the suspected armed robbers fled, the others were held, disarmed of the two locally pistol, six live and five expended cartridges they had before shooting them inside the commercial bus they (police) used for the operation.
Condemning the action of the policemen, spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said they went to the extreme and violated the rules on the treatement of suspects in custody.
Although the gang was said to be notorious in the area, the police team took their celebration of the arrest to the extreme by killing the suspects, Elkana said.
“The team went extreme by killing the suspects who were already in their custody instead of taking them to the Police Station and allowing the normal process of investigation and prosecution to be initiated as stipulated under procedural laws.
“That act of extrajudicial killing falls short of police professional standards and cannot be condoned by the command.
The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Zubairu Muazu has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The police officers are currently subjected to internal disciplinary proceedings known as Orderly Room trial and if found culpable, they will be dismissed from the Force and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Yaba for prosecution in the conventional court.
“The public will be updated on the outcome of the investigation and trial,” said Elkana in a statement released on Wednesday.
In paragraph 5 of that report, you have said it all, we are not suppose to have mercy on those criminals robbers, they were arrested with correct weapons, and that is how they killed civilians and also forces people, no human right for that, taking them to court, huuuimmm,that is final, one month letter, they will be outside hunting for you that arrested them, and with that same weapons seen physically, some lawyer who will not make heaven will go and stand for them in the court of law, please I want to ask this question, where is Nigeria going? Please you people should stop disturbing those police officer, if to say,they refused to go for that call, huuuummm, abuse or senior officer follows them with orderly room, if those bad boy killed them, they families will not see they entitlement, if they wives are fine woman huuuuummmm, magana,yakari, God, save us ,please and please, you people should stop disturbing them and transferred them out of Lagos state please