Police Commissioner Abiodun Alabi of lakes state has ordered the immediate initiation of disciplinary action against a police officer photographed smoking Indian hemp in the Ijora area of the state.
The officer was seen in a photo that circulated online on Sunday. The photo was captioned “Nigerian police officer in Ijora Lagos smoking weed on duty.”
The uniformed police officer, who appeared to be in a meeting, sat down on a blue chair and held up the hemp with a pair of slippers.
According to a statement by Lagos police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin on Tuesday, police identified the officer as Babatunde Adebayo, police superintendent of the Shogunle Division.
The commissioner said the officer would face disciplinary action commensurate with his rank.
Alabi warned the officers to “steer clear of any unprofessional conduct, as the police would discipline any officer found guilty of the act.”
Following the circulation of the photo, the force’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, reacted through his Twitter account to the viral photo.
“The police have started the necessary actions in this horrific scene. We have contacted the Lakes Command to fish, name and shame him and the IGP office will take the necessary disciplinary action with immediate effect,” Adejobi wrote.
“This is condemned in its entirety as such is anti-police. It is quite unfortunate that we can see a police officer, in uniform, degenerate to this level. We must kick this again to serve as a deterrent to others.”