A TV presenter, Oseni Rufai, who accused a policeman of pointing a gun at him, has been alleged to have gone against traffic rules in Lagos.
Rufai, in a tweet on Monday, said the policeman pointed the gun at him and drove his car away as a way of enforcing traffic infraction.
“A Nigerian police officer pointed a gun at me and forcefully took my keys and drove my car off, because he wanted to enforce a traffic infraction,” he tweeted.
He added, “I think the police needs training and retraining.
“I offered to pay for the traffic infraction but the police were hell-bent on forcefully collecting my keys and pointing a gun at me. I saw three other cars drive by the BRT lane and they were not stopped. I am at sea! Why point a gun at me and forcefully collect my key? I am shocked.”
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor, Gboyega Akosile, in a tweet, said Rufai was a lawbreaker.
According to him, the Rufai drove on the lane which is exclusive to Bus Rapid Transport, BRT.
“Thank you Rufai, while the @PoliceNG deal with the police officer in their own way, we’d ensure that necessary action is taken against you for driving on BRT lane as you’ve admitted to the police. You’re a lawbreaker and you should face the necessary penalties,” he wrote.
This was corroborated by the Police Spokesman in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin.
He tweeted, “Rufai, let’s not do this. You admitted to me that you passed a BRT lane. It’s against the law. Your claim that google maps took you there is not tenable. You disobeyed and resisted the officers. We’ll sanction the officer who misused firearm if proven…”
Clarifying the incident, Rufai said, “I am not a lawmaker. I saw cars pass through the supposed BRT lane and they were not stopped, all of a sudden I was stopped and told I used the bus lane. If I didn’t see other cars, I will not go through, plus I wasn’t conversant with the road. In fact, after I was stopped three cars also…”
He concluded, “I have just spoken to the police now and we have resolved the matter. I stated my side of the case to the police and we resolved amicably. I must state citizens must be treated better and the police must approach things better.We citizens have rights and that’s all I demanded.”
