The searching of citizens’ phones by police officers has been tagged as illegal by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fayoade Adegoke.
Stating that no policeman is permitted to search a phone, Adegoke stressed that the Police Force had a cyber section responsible for that.
The police boss added that if a police officer suspected anything, they would take the person to the station so the phone could be searched.
In a recent statement, the CP also reaffirmed that bail was unrestricted while urging the public to expose corrupt police officers.
“If you feel you have been cheated by a policeman or a policeman engaged in corruption, kindly report the policeman to his DPO. If the DPO is not forthcoming, report to the Area Commander. I believe your case will be solved but if you still feel cheated, please report to me directly. My phone number is open to all Lagosians,” the statement quoted the CP as saying.
The CP also said, “No policeman has the right to beat citizens. You, the people, are the government’s employers; your taxes support us. Thus, we have to treat you with the appropriate decency.”
“On the issue of searching phones, no policeman has the right to search your phone. If a policeman suspects anything on your phone, he will take you to the station to search the phone. We have a cyber department that deals with all that,” he added.
Meanwhile, a man attempting to snatch a phone from the owner was knocked down by a car while crossing Zoo Road in Kano.
Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the Kano State Police Command spokesman, confirmed the incident on his social media handles on Sunday evening.
The police spokesman said he had received a report from Zoo Road that someone took a woman’s phone, saying that he was crossing the road when a car hit him.
He explained that the suspect was receiving medical attention following injuries he sustained.
Kiyawa further explained, “After we took (the man who stole the phone) to the hospital, he was moving a bit, his spine was broken and his head was cracked, the hospital is thinking of taking him to the emergency department.”