June 12: Police Defend Using Teargas On Protesters

Nigerian police has said the use of tear gas on protesters is in line with Global standard.

Gatekeepers News reports that Nigerian police has justified its use of tear gas on protesters who took to the streets to mark Democracy Day by protesting across the major cities in Nigeria.

The police shot teargas at protesters in Lagos and Abuja.

The police spokesman, Mr Frank Mba, made the claim in an exclusive interview with Channels Television in Abuja, FCT.

Mba said the actions of officers were in line with international best practices of dispersing violent protests.

According to Mr Mba, the use of teargas was an isolated case in Abuja where protesters turned violent.

“We had an isolated case in Abuja where some of the protesters became unruly and in line with international best practices, police fired teargas at them.

“And that is an acceptable mode of engaging violent protesters anywhere in the world, whether it is in Abuja, Lagos, Paris, London, or New York or California. That is internationally accepted.

“We would have problems if we had fired live bullets at them, but when you fire teargas at protesters to disperse them, you are not in breach of any known code, either nationally or internationally.

“I also want to use this opportunity to state clearly that no citizen, either in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano or anywhere, is currently in detention as a result of this isolated incident.

“As long as protesters conduct themselves within the confines of the law; they do not constitute themselves into nuisance, they do not breach the rights of other citizens, they do not obstruct traffic, they do not compel other citizens to join their protests, the police will largely work with them.

“When you protest in contravention of these set of conditions I have given, clearly you are coming in direct conflict with the laws of the land, and the police will never stand by idly and watch you create problems for the entire polity.”