The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has said that the Nigeria Police Force does not arrest Nigerians for criticising or abusing public officials.
The IG recently shared that no citizen would be arrested even if he was the one targeted with criticism or abuse.
Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, Kayode revealed that criticism, especially when constructive, is very welcome because it helps to keep public officials on their toes.
According to him, the people will continue to have the right to free expression as long as it does not involve the spread of falsehood.
Kayode stated that he constantly gets abused and ridiculed online, but no one has been apprehended or detained because the comments keep him accountable to the people.
“We don’t arrest anybody for abusing anybody. Have you not seen how they abuse the IG on social media? Have you heard we arrested anybody for abusing the IG? They have been abusing me.
I don’t care about the abuse. You can abuse me. You can criticise me. If your criticism is constructive, it’s going to help me to be on my toes. I will do more. So, I welcome criticism,” he said.
He, however, warned that the police will take action when anyone posts fake information that can defame others.
The IG clarified that while such cases used to be civil matters in the past, they are now treated as criminal offences under the current law.
He concluded by saying that publishing falsehood against a public official will automatically make the culprit liable to arrest.
“The Cybercrime Act makes it a criminal offence for anybody to publish falsehood against anybody, whether public official or private individual.
If you publish falsehood that can injure the personality of that other person, it’s an offence. It’s a criminal offence.
Before now, before the Cyber Crime Act, it was a civil offence. Then the complainant would be advised to go and take civil action. But with the Act that we have, if you publish falsehood against any individual, you are committing a criminal offence and you can be picked up, you can be arrested and charged to court.
If we arrest you for such offence, we don’t take you to our houses or anywhere. We take you to the court. So the police will not arrest anybody who abuses a government official.
But if you publish falsehood against that public official and the public official complain against you, you are liable to arrest. We will arrest you and charge you to court,” he added.
