Any Policeman Who Collects Money For Bail Not Different From A Kidnapper – Lagos CP

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zubairu Muazu, on Tuesday July 9, 2019 inaugurated a statement-taking room for the CID Panti, Yaba, warning that policemen collecting money for bail were not different from kidnappers and would not be spared.

         The facility was provided by the Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC) Programme managed by the British Council and funded by European Union.

          Muazu commended RoLAC for the initiative, noting that statement-taking was important in police investigation, saying statement-taking was the foundation of police investigation.

         He noted that the facility was important to police operations, assuring the British Council that it would be put to effective use.

         While cautioning them from collecting money for bail, the Lagos Police boss warned officers andmen of the Command against corrupt activities, saying that anyone caught would be decisively dealt with.

         His words: “I advise that we stay far away from corruption. It gives us a bad name as it is unprofessional and unethical

       “We have always said bail is free and we mean it. I keep saying that any policeman who collects money for bail is not different from a kidnapper. The only difference is that everyone knows where you kept the suspects.

        “The country is hard and we need people more than they need us. Let us stay far from corruption,” he said.

       Muazu commended DCP Yetunde Longe in charge of the CID for diligence, while assuring members of the public that the facility would be utilised effectively.

       In his own comment, DCP Longe said the CID was prepared to embrace world best practices in an investigation.

       She commended ROLAC for donating equipment and training officers attached to the department, saying, “This will in no small measure add value to our productivity. I want to assure the CP, the donor, and other stakeholders that this facility will be judiciously utilised for the intended purpose.

       “The vision and mission of the I-G, Mohammed Adamu, to ensure diligent investigations is a task that must be accomplished.”

  Contributing, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Titilayo Shitta-Bay, said she was delighted to witness the inauguration, noting that the facility was important to police investigations.

          She said that there had been issues with the manner in which statements were being taken from suspects.

         Shitta-Bay posited that the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws, 2015, mandated recording of statements.