POLICE IS YOUR FRIEND JUST GOT EXPENSIVE

In Other News, the police is your friend… Until you refuse to help, then you'll be paying your monthly income as fine. 

Thanks to Nollywood movies, we don't have to be arrested or stopped and searched to be familiar with that classic Nigerian Police motto, “Police is Your Friend.” Well, it turns out, the Nigerian Police is now taking that friendship to a whole new level!!

Forget about them trying to escort you to the stations while they escort your faves to parties. This is not even about when Your Friend asks you, “Anything for the boys?” (As King of Boys that you're na), no, it's not that! 

The gist right now is, if you're caught leaving your friend hanging while he/she is under attack, you could be slapped with a N100,000 fine or, worse still, spend three months with their housed friends at Kiri Kiri. 

Removes glasses and screams, “What?” in Tony Umez’s voice.

Oh, that expression wasn't for me. It was for you! I mean all the shock I will have expressed I already did when I first heard this gist, so right now it's your turn. 

Well, go ahead, give me the expression!!

Good! Now let's continue.

Before our besties, I mean the Nigerian police, decided to start keeping streaks with us, a particular video caught a lot of attention that week. Now, imagine this: a woman and a police officer engaging in a hot face-me-face-you, and before we know what's going on, Mr. Officer is on the ground collecting serious punches from Miss Tyson! 

Now stop imagining, my dear CheckMates, because that actually happened! The lady had the police officer on the ground before Rihanna could say, Man Down! Lol, sorry for the laugh. 

Now, as much as we all found it tragically funny, the Nigerian Police Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, was not showing us his 32s like he usually does in official photos. He decided to use Elon Musk’s former bird (X) to send a wake-up call to us all: Ignore a police officer in distress, and you could be facing serious consequences. That means if you see an officer getting attacked, and you decide to casually sip your Zobo and mind your business, you might not be minding that business for long. 

Just in case you're thinking this one is all just empty talk, don't play o! Oga Muyiwa actually dropped Police Bible scriptures to back his points. He quoted the book of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria, Chapter 197, and also Chapters 42, 98, and 99 of the book of Police Act, 2020 Revised Standard Version. 

Now let's break down what these scriptures say, shall we? Why won't you say yes? But what kind of friend are you if you don't know your friend's Bro Codes? Anyways, that's why you have me, because a friend in need is a friend indeed (IGP Egbetokin leaves the group chat since his deeds are different from what's on paper) 

Let's get down to business, because the Bro Code - pardon me—the Criminal Code Act & Police Act 2020 are not codes you should take for granted and think your friend will just forgive you after you marry their ex. If you break any of them, luckily, pepper soup won't go round, but you will see pepper. 

Section 197 of the Criminal Code Act makes it clear: 

If you obstruct or resist any public officer (including your best friend - the police) while they're carrying out their duties, you are guilty of a crime and could face two years in prison. So, if you're the one blocking the officer from doing their job, you're in serious gbese! 

Club/Celebrity Bouncers are you there?

It doesn't stop there! 

Section 98 of the Police Act 2020 comes in hot with an even bigger penalty. 

If you assault, obstruct, or resist a police officer while they're doing their job, or if you ginger someone else to do so, you could be hit with a N500,000 fine or find yourself spending 6 months in KiriKiri, or worse still, Na Collabo.

And if you think that's intense, wait for it!

Section 99 of the Police Act 2020 says,

If you witness a police officer being assaulted or even in danger of being assaulted, and you refuse to assist, you're in big trouble. Not helping could land you a N100,000 fine or three months in prison. That means if a cop is being attacked or assaulted while doing their job and you're nearby, you can no longer afford the luxury of being an innocent bystander. You have to be ready to prove your love for the police. 

It's giving, Friendship is by choice, but the police taketh it by force, lol. 

Let's be real for a second though. We all know Nigeria can sometimes feel like a movie, with plot twists and drama around every corner. But this is not some Nollywood script - it's the law. Section 42 of the Police Act even goes as far as saying that you have a legal obligation to assist officers when they're making arrests or preventing someone from fleeing. So, no more excuses like, “I didn't see anything” or “It's not my business.” 

It's not like the NPF just woke up one morning and decided to come up with laws to favour them; these laws have been there for a long time and ought to be followed. But the issue here is that the Nigerian Police Force has been linked to too many controversies that do not speak well of them. 

A lot of people would rather sit back and watch the police under attack, turn on their cameras to capture the act and chant ‘moral high’ on the side, rather than trying to intervene to help them. I mean, we're talking about the same police that citizens will rather take the law in their hands or drop a matter than go to the police to report a crime, coz they believe nothing will be done about it or the process to get prosecution or audience from them is more burdensome than the crime committed on its own. 

There are two sides to this matter. As much as we don't have a choice but to obey the law. After all, police officers put their lives on the line daily to keep order, and when they're under attack, they need all the help they can get. 

However, should citizens really face jail time or fines for not stepping in? What's the guarantee that this won't lead to more cases of power-pass-power, with police officers unfairly punishing the wrong people? I mean, we're talking about the same officers who will come to arrest one person but will end up carrying the whole community. 

Or is it the officers that they will pay to unjustly arrest someone, and while they're trying to do so without an arrest warrant, we should all now run to help them so we won't be arrested too?

What's even the guarantee that helping the police won't end up putting our lives in danger too? Jesus already died for us all. Please, there's no need to show off that we can do the same for the police. 

This is just a fine line between protecting the police and putting innocent citizens at risk. 

Anyways, the law is the law, right? Even if we have more laws than the people left to obey them in this country. 

But hey, next time you're strolling down that street and you happen to see an officer in trouble, you may want to consider stepping in. No one's asking you to become Superman, but if you can help, why not be a good friend to your besties when they need you the most? After all, the Police is not just our friend, but now, they're also our responsibility. 

Please let me go and check on my neighbour, who's a police officer. Ask him if he's eating yet, and probably if anybody looked for his trouble today, as it were. I'm his new Defender. 

I'll see you in Another News!