Police work not slavery, officers can drink responsibly – PPRO

advisor January 7, 2023

18 2 minutes read

The Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin, has said that even though the Police Act bars officers from engaging in unprofessional conduct, the officers can still drink alcohol responsibly as they are not into slavery.

The Lagos police spokesperson disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH on Saturday, while addressing the case of a group of policemen caught on camera drinking beer at a relaxation spot while in uniform during the festive season.

He said the decision of the Force Headquarters to transfer the officers out of the state was not because they were caught on camera drinking openly, but because of the expectant lawyer that was killed by one of the officers in Ajah.

“The decision to transfer these people (policemen) out was taken on December 25 after a lawyer was killed. At that time, there was nothing like some policemen were seen drinking alcohol. Alcohol was not an issue then. So, nobody should make it seem like they were transferred because they were caught drinking alcohol.

“So, if they go to a new place, they will continue to drink alcohol! Our (decision to) transfer (them) had nothing to do with alcohol. The transfer has to do with two (extrajudicial) killings within one month. So, it was to transfer everybody out because there were allegations from the community. People in the community around said they (the officers) had overstayed. That was what they told us when they came to see the Commissioner of Police,” the police PPRO explained.

“Even the policemen that were caught taking alcohol, they were not behaving erratically, they were not misbehaving. Yes, there was a tendency that they could misbehave because they were drunk but at the point when your colleague, Dayo Oyewo, took their pictures, they were not misbehaving.

“They were just drinking and they were drunk and that’s what makes it unprofessional, they were in uniforms but if they took same amount of alcohol while they are off duty, while in mufti, it has not constituted an offence, they have not committed an offence. They have not misbehaved, they have not assaulted anybody, they have not extorted (money from) anybody, they are just drinking. Anybody can drink. Police work is not slavery, anybody can drink,” Hundeyin added.