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Nigeria warns police not to use arms except in extreme circumstances

Xinhua, February 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

The police in Nigeria have been cautioned against the use of firearms during the forthcoming general elections except in extreme circumstances.

The country's Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, gave the warning in a statement reaching Xinhua on Sunday when he addressed senior officers and stakeholders in his office.

Abba said the Nigeria Police had a mandate to save and protect lives, and not to kill, contrary to recent statements in the media.

The police chief said in spite of provocation, attributes of a policeman as contained in the Police Regulations, required him to exercise "tact, patience and tolerance and control of temper in trying situations".

He also cautioned the personnel against excesses and reminded them of the dire consequences of abuse of human rights as contained in the recently released Human Rights Practice Manual of the force.

Abba restated his avowed commitment to observance of the rule of law and the respect of the fundamental rights of citizens by all police officers.

He restated the preparedness of the force to provide the requisite security before, during and after the elections.

National elections, earlier set for Feb. 14 and 28, were rescheduled for March 28 and April 11 following a "strong advisory" and a warning from the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and military chiefs that they could not guarantee security for the polls. Endi