Concerns over a possible negative signal to foreign investors and fears of xenophobic sentiments resurfaced on Monday following an operation involving armed policemen and a Ghanaian-owned investment at River Park Estate, Abuja.
The concerns followed an incident in which armed policemen, allegedly attached to the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) of the Nigeria Police Force, were seen escorting a group of men to the Gallery Clubhouse, a recreational facility owned by a Ghanaian investment firm, where part of the entrance was reportedly excavated.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the officers prevented staff members from interfering with the operation and declined to identify the authority under which they were acting when questioned.
The incident, which occurred on June 29, has since generated widespread reactions after a video of the operation surfaced online. In the footage, one of the armed men repeatedly ordered a staff member to stop recording the incident, insisting that filming him without his consent infringed on his fundamental rights.
“Why are you videoing me? I am giving you a lawful order: stop videoing me. The whole world will see this video. You can’t video me without my permission. You are infringing on my rights. The rights you have as a Nigerian or as a visitor are the same rights I have. You do not have the right to video me. From the moment I arrived, you started videoing me,” the armed man was heard saying.
The staff member’s attempts to explain why he was recording were repeatedly interrupted. At one point, the armed man advised him to report his grievance at a police station or to the Commissioner of Police instead of filming him.
After several attempts to speak, the staff member replied: “The reason for recording is that it is an illegal action to destroy the place.” The armed man, however, maintained that his rights had been violated, saying: “You can do that to a layman policeman, not a wise man like me. I know you are videoing me.” He subsequently directed that everyone involved should proceed to the police station.
The development has drawn concern from residents and observers, who described the operation as an invasion of private property and urged the authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding it.
One of the eyewitnesses, Mr Sajay Omagbemi, warned that unless the incident was transparently investigated, it could create the wrong impression about Nigeria’s disposition towards foreign investors.
According to him, “We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police and the Federal Government to ensure that justice is done and the law is allowed to take its full course. This matter should not be swept under the carpet because it involves a foreign investor. We do not want anything that could create the impression of hostility towards foreign investments or lead to the kind of xenophobic tensions witnessed in South Africa. Nigeria has always been known as a welcoming nation, and we must protect that reputation.”
Other Nigerians also appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to order a transparent investigation into the incident, saying a prompt resolution would reassure both local and foreign investors of Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law. They also urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene to ensure that the matter is thoroughly investigated.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the management of River Park Estate to identify the officers involved proved unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. Similarly, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command had yet to issue an official response to the viral video. #Securitynewsalert.com
