Lagos State Police Commissioner, Zubairu Muazu has said policemen collecting money from suspects as bail are kidnappers and will be treated as such.
He warned policemen to shun every form of corruption and exploitation of suspects, especially in the areas of bail, emphasizing that bail is free.
Muazu made the warning during the commissioning of an Ultra-Modern Statement-taking room facility at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos on Tuesday.
He said the full wrath of the law would descend on any policeman caught collecting money from suspect as bail, while also warning against exploitation of suspects.
In his words: “Anybody collecting money for bail is a kidnapper, the only difference is that the kidnappers hide their victim in an undisclosed location while policemen collecting money for bail hide theirs where everyone knows.”
While commissioning the State-of-the-art facility, he said the effective use of the ultra-modern statement taking room would further help bring justice to many and helped the police to deepen their investigation.
He advised that the department should utilise the facility in assisting prosecution of suspects in compliance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2015.
The Officer-in-Charge of the State CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Yetunde Longe, said that SCID was more than ready to embrace global best practices in investigation, as she commended RoLAC for the donation of equipment and training of officers attached to the department.
“This will in no small measure add value to our productivity. I want to assure the CP, the donor and other stakeholders that this facility will be judiciously utilised for the purpose for which it is donated,” she added.
Longe also unveiled the new website of the State CID (www.scidlagos.org) to showcase the achievements of the Lagos command as well the department and to enhance communication in this digital age.
PM NEWS
