Femi Falana, a human rights attorney and senior lawyer in Nigeria, criticised Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Police Force, over a recent statement that was attributed to him.
When the Force Public Relations Officer stated on his Twitter account on Saturday that a civilian has no right to retaliate even if he is slapped by a police officer in uniform, it sparked a lot of responses among Nigerians.
In response to the assertion attributed to Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Femi Falana issued a statement saying that an assault on a Nigerian person is punishable by 25 years in prison since they are entitled to fundamental rights.
He made the claim that police officers are not permitted to treat Nigerians, especially criminal suspects, in a degrading or inhumane manner by citing the Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and the Police Establishment Act, 2020.
The Anti Torture Act of 2017 stipulates that assaulting a civilian carries a 25-year prison sentence, and the victim is also entitled to monetary damages under the Constitution and the Anti Torture Act.
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