COVID-19 and Police’s Revenge Mission
Not until the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, through the force’s spokesman, Frank Mba, released a statement reiterating those exempted for free movement, the police, last Tuesday, sought a revenge with journalists for allegedly accusing them of compromising the lockdown order and therefore tagged the weakest link in the overall efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus. The Police had mounted their familiar roadblocks in different parts of the Lagos State, ostensibly to enforce the lockdown order the moment it was 8pm. Unknown to unsuspecting journalists – both the print and electronic categories – they were the chief targets of the May 19 mission, when the police in a coordinated curfew enforcement strategy, arrested and detained some of them. Others were stuck in the long stretch of traffic occasioned by their roadblocks.
However, reprieve only came after the news had traveled wide and the police IG, in consultation and agreement with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, as well as the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, cleared the grey areas, which was otherwise a no-brainer. Many of those detained didn’t get to their homes before midnight. Thanks to the police for their equalizer. Still, the journalists won!
Without a doubt, the police fumbled greatly at the start of the lockdown order and are still doing so. Their compromises caused the nation a lot of pains, resulting in the spike of the new cases since recorded daily. For tokens, many people were granted access to places they ordinarily ought not to be, forgetting also that they too stood the risk of being infected – their families inclusive. Whatever they chose to do last Tuesday only exposed their pettiness and inanity. It won’t stop others from closing the gaps they deliberately created.