Police Arrested Criminals Engaged in Looting, Not Minors—IGP

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, has said that contrary to the “mischievous story” being peddled in the media by certain groups, the Nigerian Police Force did not apprehend any underage children for demonstrating during the #EndBadGovernance protest in the country; however, the force apprehended criminal elements who were committing arson, burning down properties and public facilities, breaking into and stealing from shops and supermarkets, among other crimes.

Egbetokun revealed this at a conference on “Enhancing Professionalism and Standardisation in Criminal Investigation,” organised for heads of Police Investigative and Intelligence Units across the country, at the Police Resource Centre, Abuja.

IGP Egbetokun said: “Firstly, I want to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his fatherly disposition in directing the release of all those apprehended. But let me correct an impression: no individual, including any minor, was apprehended for participating in the end bad governance protest. We made available security for protesters because we believed that they had the right to protest.

“Those apprehended were criminal elements who looted warehouses and shops. Those who were committing arson and burning down people's properties and public facilities by setting them on fire are the people we apprehended.

“Minors were not apprehended for taking part in the end bad governance protest. We apprehended criminals. They were not people who participated in the protest. It is a mischievous story being sold out there.

“The culprits were criminals apprehended during that period of protest. They were captured on video committing arson, destroying public properties. We saw on video the vandalisation of public properties, large-scale looting of trading stores, and arson,” he stated.