TheCable

Muyiwa Adejobi, the public relations officer of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), says police spokespersons across the country are working for the good of the citizens and do not deserve to be abused.

Adejobi spoke on Thursday as a panellist on the Enough is Enough (EiE) “Thursday Talks” online conversation.

He said police spokespersons by their training and ethics of the job would not start any abusive conversation on social media that could force the citizens to insult them.

“No PRO will start any abusive or sarcastic conversation, it is not possible. I don’t know how a boy of 22 years will call me a madman or foolish man, when I am always a grandfather and I want them to tell me, out of all my counterparts in other agencies, no one engages them like I engage them,” he said.

“I can decide not to come online but it is the passion I have that always makes me be on social media.

“I know those who even tell me not to engage them and that they will abuse me again. I tell them, I will do it again, after all, they abuse even the president, who am I for them not to abuse me? It doesn’t matter.

“Somebody will be sarcastic, making abusive comments against senior officers and PROs and you think they will not react, for God’s sake, they are human beings.

“Let me remind you now that public relations do not teach us to be foolish, they only teach us to be principled and to be diplomatic in what we do.

“Let Nigerians know that PROs are not people you should attack, these are the people fighting for you.

“If they have enemies within, you should not be their enemies again outside because they are fighting for you and they know what they face on a regular basis as they step on toes and many pick offences against them.

 “I will not appreciate it when Nigerians attack PROs again. If police officers misbehave, find out those who misbehaved, you can abuse them or report them to us.

“I want to appeal to Nigerians to see PROs as part of you, when we are online, don’t abuse us, abuse those who misbehave.”

The force spokesperson said the police are working on reforms to ensure officers in various locations are properly dressed in the approved outfit.

He said a compulsory orientation course has also been approved for all personnel.

“The punishment of erring officers has been horned. Our department, particularly, the provost, the IGP monitoring unit and escort, public complaint bureau, are all domiciled here in Abuja under the instruction of the inspector general of police to go around and pick up all these erring officers and punish them accordingly,” he added

“The present leadership of the police commission and the IGP is working assiduously to make sure we have a joint recruitment board that has just been established to make sure we have even distribution of candidates across LGAs in Nigeria.”