The Police Command in Lagos State says the man allegedly caught in a viral video masturbating in a commercial vehicle on March 13 is not a policeman.
The News Agency reports that the man was videoed by a lady who made the video to go viral.
CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Police Relations Officer, PPRO, Lagos State Command, gave the clarification on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said that the man simply identified as Mr Matthew, who assaulted the lady, one Olajumoke Okeyemi, for correcting his actions and act of sexual harassment in a public vehicle, was a driver.
According to him, he is employed by GTC Laundry Services, situated on Channels TV Road, Isheri, Lagos, and only impersonated a policeman during the “drama’’ in the video.
Mr Matthew was in a commercial bus from OPIC Estate Isheri to Mowe with the lady when the suspect resorted to verbal abuse and attempted to physically assault the lady.
He was angry at the lady for recoding his criminal and indecent act on her phone.
CSP Adejobi said the police, in collaboration with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, have started investigation into the matter and intensified efforts to arrest the suspect.
“Incidentally, the suspect has also been identified by some other women who had similar experiences with him in previous years and on the same route.
“The concerned women have made series of comments on the social media which will assist the police in their investigation.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu has condemned such inhuman, immoral and criminal act of Mr Matthew.
“Mathew’s careless and unguided utterances had dragged the name of the Nigeria Police Force in the mud, the commissioner has said,’’ the police spokesman stated.
He added that CP Odumosu warned that Mathew’s act constituted an offence under the law and would not be tolerated.
“The Commissioner of Police has ordered the Gender Unit of the Command to expedite action on the case, arrest the suspect and commence proper investigation so as to maintain sanity in the society,’’ Adejobi added.
NAN
