It is not in our DNA to brutalize citizens: Police boss Hakeem Odumoso offers Apology..

The police boss Hakeem Odumoso has offered his apologies to anyone who had been brutalized by officers at the venue.

Commissioner of Police in Lagos, apologies profusely for the behavior of police officers during the anti-police brutality memorial protest of October 20, 2021, adding that it was not in the DNA of the Nigerian Police to brutalize and dehumanize.

“If it’s our normal behaviour, almost all of them (police officers) would have brutalized everybody,”says Lagos Police Commissioner Odumosu

Odumosu’s apologies were made at the Lekki toll gate venue of the protest in Lagos, in the wake of the manhandling and harassing of journalists and protesters by stern-looking and heavily fortified police officers, who made a show of beating and hauling persons into a locked van.

“If it’s our normal behaviour, almost all of them (police officers) would have brutalized everybody,” Odumosu said, adding that the force is changing and that some officers are youthfully exuberant, ignorant and inexperienced.

“But in a family, somebody can do that (go overboard),” he said.

He also added that it was wrong of police officers to prevent an AriseTV crew from deploying drones to cover the car procession protest.

“Any tool that the journalist needs to use to do his professional calling is allowed,” said Odumoso

Police officers previously had deployed teargas canisters to disperse the protesters

The convoy memorial marked the one-year anniversary of the viral anti-police brutality protests of October 2020.

On October 20, 2020, young Nigerians protesting decades of police brutality and extortion under the #EndSARS banner, were shot at by soldiers who had been ordered to enforce a hurriedly declared curfew.