HUMAN RIGHT ACTIVISTS COMMEND RRS OPERATIVES FOR HIGH LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM DESPITE PROVOCATION

Ibrahim A. Jagaba

A horde of human rights and civil liberty advocates and bodies in Lagos and across the country have continue to commend police operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos for exhibiting uncommon level of professionalism in the face of a supposedly unbearable provocation by a defaulting motorist who was stopped for driving against traffic (One Way), in line with the Lagos state revised traffic law 2018.

In the recorded video of the incident which has gone viral on the social media platforms, the errant motorist, is seen intermittently using his two arms to violently push the RRS operative in the chest and eventually locking the police man, who was in uniform and armed, by the collar in an attempt to choke the operative.

Against general expectations, the RRS operative involved exhibited uncommon restraint and was only seen to be firm in readiness to effect the proper arrest of the motorist for flouting the relevant traffic law of the state.

Feedbacks from human rights bodies, legal practitioners, observers and responders have been a chorus of outright condemnation of the uncivil conduct of the motorist and a general call for the full weight of the laws to be applied to serve as a punitive and deterrent measure to flagrant and lawless citizenry, who may be encouraged by the unacceptable conduct of the individual.

Alongside the applauses, calls are also been made for a special recognition for the RRS operatives involved, adding that, such recognition would spur other personnels across other police units to measure up with the required professionalism exemplified by the RRS men; the restraint and actions of the RRS men points to no other thing but the quality of leadership in place at the unit without which, perhaps, the story would have been a gory scene.

Lagosians and Nigerians in general should disapprove of unbecoming conducts of a few of us who know very little of the consequences of their lawless actions to peace, and the security of lives and property.

In line with enabling laws of the land, the culprit was professionally neutralized and arrested and has been transferred to the state's criminal investigation department SCID Panti for discreet investigation.

Trekafrica.net