A presidential aide, Tolu Ogunlesi has backed the decision of police authorities to ban routine patrols and ‘stop and search’ operations by Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other tactical squads.
The presidential aide also hailed the position of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the ban.
The vice president had described the routine attacks on young people under the pretext of stop and search as infuriating.
Osinbajo, who spoke on Sunday, blamed the actions on “bad eggs” within the force and charged the police squads to stick to their mandates.
Taking to Twitter on Friday, Ogunlesi said that police tactical squads like the Anti-Robbery, Anti-Kidnapping should have no business claiming to “fight” crime.
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He stressed that operatives of the squads should not be checking phones or laptops, bitcoin wallets or emails of young Nigerians.
The presidential aide urged the police to take a cue from the famous arrest of suspected millionaire internet fraudster, Ramoni Igbalode aka Hushpuppi, saying he was not picked up at a checkpoint.
“Bears repeating (as VP recently said) that anti-armed-robbery/kidnapping squads have no business claiming to ‘fight’ cybercrime. No business checking phones or laptops or bitcoin wallets or emails. Digital crime, digital crime-busting. Hushpuppi was not busted at a checkpoint,” Ogunlesi.
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