The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a publication in the Saturday Sun Newspaper of today, 5th January, 2019, captioned “Nigerian Police Chief jailed in Benin Republic” credited to one Owolola Adebola.
2. The story was studied and was discovered in its entirety to be incorrect, mischievous, and unfounded. In the record of the Force, there is no Nigerian Police Officer in jail in Benin Republic as claimed by the writer. The Force wishes to enjoin members of the public to disregard and discountenance the story as figment of the imagination of the writer.
3. The Nigeria Police Force border patrol department and other security agencies within Nigeria and our counterpart in Benin Republic have a good synergy and cordial working relationship to ensure adequate security and safety between the two countries for several decades now, therefore, there will definitely be information to the Force about any Officer of the Force arrested on the soil of another Country for whatever reason before such an Officer is put on trial.
4.It is pertinent to state here that there was no record made available to the Force by the Benin Republic Police gendarmerie about the arrest, prosecution and conviction of a Chief Superintendent of Police in the last 2 years as claimed by writer or at any other time. There was equally no record at the Seme border Police Border Patrol unit that a Chief Superintendent of Police was arrested for crossing the border with his service pistol. One wonders how the reporter got the story of a Nigerian Chief Superintendent of Police jailed in Benin republic without the name and other relevant details of the purported officer.
5.Consequently, it is evidently clear that the story is based on hearsay, an unverified and unconfirmed account. The Media and the Police are partners in ensuring security of lives and properties throughout Nigeria and the strengthening of sustainable and mutual diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and our close neighbours, this should not be jeopardized by writing a story based on unverified sources, the need for reporters to authenticate their write-ups before going to the press cannot be over emphasized.
6.The Nigeria Police Force hereby implores the publisher of Saturday Sun Newspaper to investigate their story so as not allow the pages of their very esteemed Newspaper to be used to misinform and mislead the public.
Ag. DCP JIMOH MOSHOOD
Force Public Relations Officers
Force Headquarters
Abuja
