The Nigeria Police Force says 27 police personnel have suffered series of attacks and assaults from members of the public since the enforcement of the COVID19 lockdown began.
These include ASP Adeyemo Ogunyemi, as well as Inspectors Ojola Abiola and Queen Eguaoje, who were assaulted by a woman identified as Kehinde Afolake at Gbolagunte, Okeola area of Eruwa, Ibarapa, Oyo State on 1st May, 2020.
Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mbah, said the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has praised ASP Ogunyemi for his uncommon restraint and professionalism, and ordered an investigation of the “unprovoked attack” as shown in a viral video.
Mbah, who is a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said ASP Ogunyemi was shown in the viral online video “where a woman was seen assaulting him unchallenged and without retaliation, while he was carrying out the COVID-19 enforcement duties at Gbolagunte, Okeola area of Eruwa, Ibarapa, Oyo State on 1st May, 2020.”
He said: “The officer, like a lamb being led to the slaughter, did not fight back but rather, maintained absolute calm, patience and decorum even as the woman rough handled him and slapped him severally. The said woman also assaulted two female police officers, and gave one of them human bite on Saturday, 2nd May, 2020 during an attempt to invite her to the Police Station for the earlier incident of serious assault on the DCO.”
The Force PRO maintained that “the Ewura incident thus is a classic example of unprovoked, unwarranted and unnecessary attacks faced by police officers in the course of performing their legitimate duties.”
He said the IGP therefore warned that this trend will no longer be tolerated by the Force.