The controversial picture.
The
Nigeria Police has described the photograph, which 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?”
PUNCH
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