Is it the duty of a police officer to arrest vehicles and motorcycles without number plate? What then is the duty of the road safety officials?
Recently, I visited the branch of Access Bank at Wurukun market in Makurdi, Benue State to make a transaction. After the transaction I walked towards the main road, precisely where the traffic control police officers used to take a rest from working under the sun. I witnessed how a police officer arrested a motorcyclist for not having number plate on his motorcycle. I tried to intervene but the officer refused and insisted that if the motorcyclist could not settle him, he would take him to the station.
I kept quiet and waited to see how the matter would end. The police officer finally collected N1000 out of initial N5000 he demanded.
The simple question is, was it right for the officer to have collected N1000 from him and allowed the motorcyclist to go? Or was it even proper for the arrest to be made in the first place by a police officer?
Let me call on the Inspector General of police, Mohammed Abubakar to retrain his men to know their duties and responsibilities. You could imagine that some police officers are now doing the work of a gate man, opening gate for some of the politicians whose houses they are guarding. Enough of the disgraceful attitudes of some of our police officers.
Awunah Terwase,
Mpape, Abuja.
