Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has decried combined efforts of operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command and soldiers from the Guards Brigades, who foiled robbery attack in Mpape area of Abuja on Saturday.
Effiong, a constitutional lawyer, who premised his criticism upon Section 218 of the Nigeria’s Constitution, argued that foiling robbery attack is not the business of army personnel, describing the joint efforts as a “national scandal”.
“It is not only wrong but also unconstitutional. The Army has no business confronting armed robbers. Section 218 of the Constitution limits the role of the Armed Forces. The Army is not supposed to be deployed to fight regular crimes.
“I insist that what happened in Abuja on Saturday is a national scandal and those in power in this country should be ashamed. Deploying soldiers to tackle five armed robbers trapped in a building is a manifestation of the total collapse of our security architecture.
“How can our troops be reduced to this shameful level? A country where soldiers chase suspected rice smugglers is a big joke. I insist that what we’re witnessing is an aberration. The Armed Forces was not established for this,” Effiong tweeted.
He further stated, “The Guards Brigade do not protect Abuja. They only protect the President & the Villa. The security of Abuja is primarily within the jurisdiction of the FCT Police Command. The Army has no business protecting Abuja except if Abuja is under serious attack beyond the capacity of the police.”
Daily Trust reports that during the face-off, the security forces gunned down a suspect who attempted to escape and subsequently arrested four others on the premises of a bank where they holed up for almost two hours.
The security operatives had arrived at the bank and cordoned off the exit points shortly after the robbers entered the premises in an attempt to burgle the Automated Teller Machines at the time, according to witnesses, when one of the bank’s workers was stocking cash in the machine.
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