showed a senior police officer in the act of fondling the
breast of an unknown lady, as fake. It said the picture,
which went viral on the Internet, was deliberately
fabricated with the aid of Adobe Photoshop technology to
mislead the public.
The alleged amorous scene, the police authorities
claimed, did not take place and the officer had
nothing to do with the woman.
The police said it arrived at this conclusion after interrogating
the policeman, who was seen in the type of uniform worn by
officers of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.
On the official Facebook page of the police, the affected police
officer was quoted as saying, "I don't know this lady. I never
took the picture with her."
However, the authorities did not name the police officer nor
give the details of the command where he is serving.
The police said that though it does not forbid its rank and file
to pose with members of the public for photographs, it would
not tolerate any display of affection for the opposite sex in full
public glare.
"An image showing one of our officers in a compromising
position with a lady has gone viral. Please check the hands in
the so-called picture that is in circulation and you will agree
that they were photo-shopped.
"Other citizens of this country are encouraged to pose for
snapshots with our uniformed officers if they so desire, just as
it is done worldwide. What we discourage is public display of
affection by our uniformed officers," it said.
After it appeared online, the controversial photograph provoked
widespread condemnation from many Nigerians who have
described the development as an act of indiscipline.
Claiming to be policemen, some people wrote on the police
Facebook page that the phot0graph was the handiwork of
mischief makers, who were clearly determined to drag the
name of the security agency in mud.
They said that no uniformed officer of the rank of ACP would
be so careless as to pose for a photograph in such a
compromising position with a lady.
One Oluwasegun Samuel-Alalade commented on the wall of
the Facebook page. "I know it is not real. Even a fresh recruit
undergoing training at the Police College will not do such a
thing, not to mention a top ranking officer. The Nigeria Police
Force should kindly disregard the photograph, " he wrote.
Also Kabiesy Ojeabulu wrote, "Photoshop or no Photoshop, all
I have to say is that the Inspector General of Police,
Mohammed Abubakar, should always investigate issues before
taking actions. It appears that a large section of the general
public does not like the police. So they fabricate anything to
tarnish our image. God help us all."
Another policeman, Adegbola Olafiyin, stated, "I don't know
the offence we committed to deserve this from the public.
Imagine here in the state where I am serving, commercial
motorcycle riders will not give you a ride despite the fact that
you have your money. This whole thing amounts to blackmail."
But some Nigerians have disagreed with the police authorities
on the status of the controversial photograph. They insist that it
appears more real than fabricated.
On cknnigeria.com, one Lanre Bewaji wrote: "There are many
angles to this picture. It is obvious the lady took the picture and
the officer consented to it. No matter how awkward the
scenario looks, if the lady was his wife or fiancée, would there
be an issue? Until we know the real circumstances behind this
picture, the matter is neither here nor there!"
In a tweet to the police, Hyke Ekeanyanwu expressed doubt
that the photograph was faked. He said, "I may agree that the
hand holding the breast was photo-shopped, but I will not agree
that the hand around his (police officer's) neck does not belong
to the lady."
Wale Bolanle, also on Facebook, queried,"What do you want
us to believe? What else do you want him to say? He must
surely deny. Is he not a human being?"
Meanwhile, the police authorities may have drawn the battle
line with commercial banks in the country over the non-
payment of the salaries of policemen.
The Force Headquarters wrote on its Facebook and Twitter
handle on Wednesday that then Inspector-General of Police,
Mohammed Abubakar, was "angry" with the banks over the
matter.
"IGP MD Abubakar, is angry with bankers over delay in
payment of Police salaries," the message read.
Lamenting the situation, one Samuel Dogo, wrote, "The police
authorities have allowed the commercial banks to deal with us
the way they want because there is no proper monitoring.
Nobody wants to know whether we have families and other
dependants that are looking up to us for their upkeep.
"The police has the highest rates of deaths and causalities
among security agencies in the country. In spite of our tireless
efforts to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians, we are
not appreciated. We earn the least salaries. Yet, we struggle so
hard to ensure that this money is paid at the right time. If I may
ask, is it a curse to be a policeman? I don't understand. Can
someone help me with a reasonable explanation?"
Source: Punch
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