Effurun Shooting: Era of impunity in Police Force over — IGP

By Uko Etim

UYO – The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has declared that the era of impunity within the Nigeria Police Force is over, vowing that officers involved in unprofessional conduct will no longer be protected from justice following the recent shooting incident in Effurun, Delta State.

The IGP made the statement on Thursday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during the passing-out parade of 1,068 retrained Police Constables.

He said any officer found guilty of misuse of firearms or unlawful killing of citizens would face dismissal and prosecution, stressing that such cases would no longer result in transfer, query, or redeployment.

“No officer will be shielded from unprofessional conduct. Any officer who misuses his weapon, who kills a citizen without lawful justification, will be dismissed and prosecuted—not transferred, not queried, not redeployed,” he said.

Disu emphasised that firearms must only be used as a last resort, in a proportionate manner, and strictly within legal limits as outlined in Force Order 237.

He warned against extortion, reporting for duty under the influence of alcohol, and reckless discharge of firearms, adding that violators would face summary dismissal and criminal prosecution.

“No badge is a license to kill. No uniform is a shield from justice,” he added.

The IGP further urged the newly trained constables to exercise discipline in the use of weapons, uphold professionalism, and treat citizens with respect in the discharge of their duties.

In a related development, the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Baba Mohammed Azare, announced the establishment of a Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to strengthen the fight against violent crime in the state.

He explained that the unit includes specially selected personnel from the retrained constables, in line with directives aimed at improving operational efficiency and rapid response to security threats.