The Police in Lagos on Friday refuted reports that the command shifted blame to the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army while visiting the FESTAC Town banks robbery scene on Thursday. CSP Adebowale Lawal, the Zone 2 Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), made the clarification while addressing newsmen on Friday in Lagos.
Lawal said that the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of the zone, Mr Bala Hassan, did not blame either of the two security formations while granting interviews.
“There is no basis for the allegations that the police shifted blame to the Army and the Navy that they did not respond when they were called.
“In fact, they all gave their assurances that they are ever ready to work with him to ensure that Lagos and Ogun states under the zone are peaceful.
“I wouldn’t know where the journalist got that information from because while the AIG was granting the interview, he never at any time shifted blame to either of the two.
“The AIG in charge of Zone 2, Bala Hassan, upon assumption of duty visited other sister security agencies,’’ Lawal said.
“This is because he appreciated the collaborative efforts of all the agencies in combating crime in Lagos and Ogun states where he co-ordinates.
“He appreciates their collaborative efforts in fighting crime and that is one of the reasons why he visited them to seek for a continuous support and to strengthen the relationship.’’
The PPRO also advised that journalists should verify their stories before publishing.
“Journalists should always get their facts right before publishing anything so that they don’t tarnish the good relationship existing among security agencies in Nigeria.
“They should always do what we call investigative journalism. They should not just publish information without sieving it,’’ the PPRO said.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the former Area E Police Commander, ACP Frank Mba, had said that all security agencies contacted during the robbery incident responded swiftly.
It will be recalled that armed robbers had on Tuesday robbed Access and Diamond banks on 4th Avenue, FESTAC Town, an incident that caused the death of a mother and child through stray bullet.
However, the response of the police forced the robbers to abandon N27 million, 240 live AK 47 riffle ammunition. (NAN)
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