Oba Akiolu- Police should treat civilians how they’d love to be treated

Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos, has urged the Nigerian police to treat civilians the way they’d love to be treated after service, he made this known in a statement released on Thursday titled, ‘Oba Akiolu Calls For Collaborative Policing’.

The Oba further stated in an interview after a private visit of the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard to his palace, that the police plays an important role in the nation’s security, the monarch also stated that lack of welfare has bred bad eggs among officers.

“The Monarch also identified the Nigerian Police as an important player in the nation’s security system noting, however, that lack of equipment and inadequate welfare of officers had bred bad eggs among the personnel, just as he affirmed that the Police is servant to the public and admonished officers to treat civilians as they would love to be treated after service,” the statement read.

Oba Akiolu further explained that every Nigerian must be security conscious and very sensitive to their surroundings.

According to him, this will enable citizens to provide timely information to security agencies when an unusual occurrence is noticed in the community.

“Security is everyone’s business and we all need to be security conscious. You see something, you say something,” the statement quoted him as saying.

The monarch also noted that the continued influx of people into Lagos not only put pressure on the infrastructure but also on the security architecture of the state.

Oba Akiolu, who commended the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his efforts in improving security, also called on traditional institutes and residents to support the government.

He mentioned that such support can be through obeying laws and paying their taxes.

Mary Beth Leonard is the current United States Ambassador to Nigeria and the former U.S. Representative to the African Union. Previously she served as the United States Ambassador to Mali.