President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that the killers of Kolade Johnson, a football fan in Lagos, would be prosecuted.
A stray bullet hit the deceased during a raid by the anti-cultism unit of the Lagos Police Command at Onipetesi, Lagos-Abeokuta Road on Sunday.
The president regretted the killing by police operatives from the Lagos State Police Command, which he described as unfortunate and avoidable.
Buhari, in a statement commiserating with the family of the deceased, acknowledged the genuine outrage regarding the activities of the police and reassured the public that swift actions had already been taken.
Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement, said Buhari noted that the suspects were in custody, and an orderly room trial was set to commence immediately, following which indicted officers would be prosecuted in court.
According to the president, “Government will not tolerate, in any way, the brutalisation of Nigerians or the violation of their rights. Any officer of the law enforcement agencies or any other government functionary caught in this act will certainly be visited with the full weight of the law.”
Buhari recalled the directives from the presidency in 2018 to overhaul the management and activities of police especially the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), saying steps were taken by the police leadership to restructure and reform SARS, but insisted that a lot more remained to be done.
Buhari reassured that this administration would continue to ensure that all officers in the police and other law enforcement agencies conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to international human rights and humanitarian law.
