The spokesman for the Nigerian Police Force came under a barrage of criticism on social media on Tuesday after he tweeted he was talking on the phone while driving.
Muyiwa Adejobi, Force PRO, said he was making a phone call while driving in Abuja when a Federal Road Safety Corps officer stopped him.
He said the FRSC officer then heard him instruct a divisional police officer to “put a person in cell d” and allowed him to leave.
“That is to say, ‘to every rule there must be an exception to save some situations’. LOL.”
I was driving in abuja today, and a road safety officer who wanted to arrest me for using the phone, heard me instruct the DPO to put a person in cell d, he just waved and passed me. That is, “to every rule there must be an exception to save some situations”. LOL
— Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi (@Princemoye1) August 16, 2022
Adejobi’s tweet was met with harsh criticism from social media users, and he later retracted his story saying he wanted to “test the strength of fake news.”
Indignation
Making a phone call while driving is a violation of Nigerian traffic laws and carries a prison sentence of six months. according to FRSC.
Rinu Oduala, project manager at The Hub Nigeria, reacted to Adejobi’s tweet and said he broke the law.
“Anyone wonder why their own officers also act like they’re above the law?
“You broke traffic rules, “put a person in a cell”, used your office to escape the law, then proceeded to cover everything up with, “for every rule, there must be an exception. If Nigeria were a tweet.”
Chidi Lemchi, a social media user, said: “You are a policeman that I respect a lot here. You and Mr. Benjamin and one of the brilliant minds in the police force. Not seeing your action as an abuse of authority is disappointing.”
Anthony Adelaja, another social media user, said Adejobi’s action could endanger “innocent lives”.
He added that whether there is an exception to the rule or not, “it still doesn’t excuse the fact that he was using a mobile phone while driving.
“There can be no exception to ensure that all road users are safe!”
Abdul Fatah, another social media user, said the law is made for everyone to obey.
“Instructing your DPO to detain a suspect should not be your weapon of intimidation nor is it an emergency. You could have stopped to use your phone. Ponder on this, Mr. Officer.
While the majority criticized the PRO, @iamonyenonu He advised him to lead by example.
“I understand that there are exceptions to the rules, but this particular one is not necessary, sir. You could use hands free and avoid breaking the rule.
“Trust me, some of your younger colleagues in this space would misuse this and build on this quote of yours.”
“This type of exception is unforgivable and unforgivable. You should have parked to give the order, sir. @yinkaisola he tweeted.
“Many Nigerians, particularly civilians, received tickets and insults even when they had strong reasons to use their phones while driving.
With the utmost respect, please do not try this again, sir.”
Retraction
After Chief Superintendent of Police Mr. Adejobi’s tweet garnered thousands of criticisms for his action, he was forced to post another tweet seven hours later saying the incident “didn’t even happen”.
It didn’t even happen, because I don’t drive myself while on duty, except off duty, and road safety officers don’t operate past 6pm or 7pm at the latest. I just tested the strength of fake news, and we can see it spread like hell harmattan. https://t.co/ZjWuIQ2sOI
— Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi (@Princemoye1) August 16, 2022
It didn’t even happen, because I don’t drive while on duty, except off duty, and road safety officers don’t operate past 6pm or 7pm at the latest. Just tested the strength of fake news, and we can see harmattan spread like hell,” he tweeted.
He also called for “more education on assimilation and education.”
reactions
A former vice president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Monday Ubani, told this newspaper that if Adejobi lied about his earlier statement, it means he lacks integrity.
“If it’s true that he tweeted admitting he had a traffic violation, if he now takes that tweet back and now says it’s fake news when he knows in his heart it wasn’t fake news, then he’s the fake. . And he lacks integrity, that’s what it means.”
Bisi Kazeem, the FRSC spokesman, said the officer could have let Adejobi go as a “sign of respect”, but “there are no exceptions to the rule”.
But Olusegun Ogungbemide, the FRSC Lagos sector commander, said he spoke to Mr Adejobi about the incident and insisted it did not happen.
“He (Mr. Adejobi) confirmed that this never happened. He is working on a reaction analysis and communication module,” Ogungbemide said via WhatsApp message.
