By Okosun Dennis
The maiden visit of Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim to Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, on December 12 would have turned sour if not for the quick intervention of some police officers who restrained the orderly from slapping the Publisher, Trek Africa Newspaper, Mr. Samson Oki.
The Personal Security Officer (PSO) to the Minister, Woman Inspector Ruth A, raised her hand and threatened to slap the President, National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).
Shortly after arriving at the command headquarters at about 5:51 pm, the Minister took the Quarter Guard salute and inspection and immediately proceeded to the barracks for inspection of the dilapidated facilities within the Mopol 20 barracks.
In the process, she interacted with children and the wife of a police officer quartered in one of the blocks. She went further to have a group photograph with them hence journalists scrambled to take shots.
As a result, there were verbal altercations between the Minister’s media aide and one of the photo journalists, leading to a tense moment between them, and it almost degenerated into physical combat.
Oki, who stood out to mediate was almost slapped by Inspector Ruth A, who shouted at him.
Her attempt was thwarted and the hullabaloo calmed down after the former Acting Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, DCP Waheed Ayilara intervened.
Also, a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan, the Chief Executive Officer, Badinson Security Limited, Mr. Matthew Ibadin and some other police officers, who were on the ground, stepped in to calm the journalists who were spoiling for war.
The fairly complex police woman, standing almost 7.3m tall got so much enraged and still went after the journalists. His colleagues then threatened to abandon the coverage.
One of the journalists who spoke anonymously expressed shock at the action of the Police Orderly to a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Ordinarily, she ought to play a mediatory role by calming down nerves not threatening to slap a journalist,” he said.
The Minister eventually briefed the press on her visit, commending men of the force for standing tall and making huge sacrifices to protect lives and properties.
She pledged her ministry’s support to the police reform agenda of the present administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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