Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, on Tuesday ordered a correspondent of The PUNCH, Kunle Falayi, out of the premises of the police command headquarters, Ikeja.
Manko said a story published on Tuesday titled, ‘Guard shot by policemen in critical condition’ was an attack on the integrity of the police.
“So, you are the one who wrote this rubbish? Were you there when the policemen shot the security guard? You people like to write rubbish,” he said. The CP then asked his orderly to walk the journalist out of the premises, saying “make sure you follow him until he (Falayi) is out of this premises.”
The journalist was at the command headquarters to carry out his legitimate duty of reporting a press briefing to be addressed by Manko and the parade of some alleged criminals.
However, journalists from other media organisations were allowed to cover the event.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Tunde Shobulo, had earlier asked The PUNCHcorrespondent to identify himself before the event started. PUNCH Metro had on Monday and Tuesday reported that a banker, Femi Badejo, and a security guard, Joshua Musa, were shot by policemen who had responded to a distress call to foil a robbery at the victims’ home in Ikota, Lagos on Saturday.
It was reported that when the policemen got to the house they opened fire indiscriminately on the residents, who were bemoaning their fate. According to the residents, the policemen arrived about one hour after the robbers had left. Badejo was hit five times, while Musa was shot twice. Both are currently receiving treatment in two different hospitals in the state. The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, had said at the time, that the policemen met Musa already shot on the premises, but admitted Badejo was shot because the policemen thought he was one of the robbers.
“As the policemen were going to the house, an occupant of the house was communicating with them on the phone, saying the robbers were still on the premises. That is probably why they shot at the banker when they got to the house,” she said. But the residents faulted her claim, saying they told the policemen many times that they were occupants of the house. They said Badejo was shot after he had told the policemen that he was an occupant and a victim.