Kehinde Fajobi
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has confirmed that the police officers who were providing protection to foreign hackers arrested for cybercrimes were acting illegally.
On November 4, the Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of 130 suspects involved in high-level cybercrimes, including 113 foreign nationals and 17 Nigerian collaborators.
The foreign suspects, mostly from China and Malaysia, were reportedly under police protection prior to their arrest.
Speaking at a workshop on criminal investigations on Monday, Egbetokun acknowledged the report, confirming that the officers involved had been arrested and were in detention.
“It is true that some policemen were seen protecting these foreigners. They have been arrested. We found that these policemen were on illegal duty. Nobody deployed them. They were not properly assigned to that task,” he said.
Egbetokun added that the officers’ commander had disowned them, and stated that they would face disciplinary action.
“I have explained that those police escorts were not formally deployed by the police authority; they were found performing illegal duties. They have already been found escorting the arrested foreigners. Their unit commanders have denied having sent them.”
However, the IG clarified that not all instances of police protection were illegitimate, noting that certain individuals in society, such as prominent businessmen, require police security.
“There are VIPs that the police must protect. There are major businessmen, employers of labour, and individuals who have thousands of Nigerians in their organisations. These individuals deserve protection,” Egbetokun explained.
Egbetokun also addressed concerns about officers being assigned to people who do not require protection, revealing that many of these officers were not formally deployed.
He said, “Some of these policemen you see attached to people who don’t deserve police protection were not formally deployed by the police authority. Some of them were picked off the streets.”
He emphasised that measures were being taken to address this misuse, including holding commanders accountable for improper deployments.
“I issued a directive that any policeman found in such situations will be traced to their origin, and their commander or supervisor will be held accountable.”
On a separate issue, the IG clarified the circumstances surrounding the arrest of minors during the #EndBadGovernance protests, stating they were not detained for protesting but for looting and destruction.
“The police did not arrest anyone for participating in the End Bad Governance protest. We arrested criminals who took advantage of the protest to destroy public infrastructure, private businesses, and commit arson,” he said.
Egbetokun condemned the false narrative that the minors were arrested for protesting, calling it “a mischievous narrative.”
He stressed that while protesting was a right, the actions of those arrested were criminal.
“You cannot expect the police to turn a blind eye and allow this destruction to continue. No society can progress under such circumstances.”