Reactions trail transfer of Police complaints unit head Shogunle after controversial comments

The transfer of the Head of the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Abayomi Shogunle, to Nkalagu, Ebonyi State by the Police Force is generating reactions from Nigerians.

Shogunle’s transfer was confirmed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who however did not disclose the reason for his redeployment to the eastern part of the country.

The police officer who is known to dish out highly controversial comments recently justified the clamp down by policemen on a night club in Abuja, saying that sex workers do not pay taxes among other reasons.

His comments over the arrest of sex workers in Abuja was criticised by Amnesty International and an online petition was launched by Segun Awosanya moments later which garnered over 6,000 signatures of Nigerians.

The transfer of Shogunle has elicited a deluge of comments by Nigerians on Twitter with former Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Joe Abah, also reacting on the social media platform.

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Abah wrote on Twitter: “Ebonyi welcomes @YomiShogunle to Nkalagu. Please note: 1. Nobody will call you “Buoda Yomi” here. 2. You will not be in the state capital. 3. You will be busy with serious issues and should not have time to mis-yarn on Twitter. 4. Small boys will call you “Punish”, not Police.”

Another Twitter user Biola Kazeem posted on Twitter saying; “Ideally Yomi Shogunle should have been fired. His redeployment might give us some catharsis here but if he was so power drunk and condescending right here in public view. I pity the people in Nkalagu where he is off radar. I do not think his redeployment is a victory really.”

However, another Twitter user, Dr. Anita Mudiaga thinks Shogunle’s transfer is a slap on the wrist saying he should have been sacked for constantly making unguarded comments.

“We might all rejoice at Yomi Shogunle’s transfer to Nkalagu (and it’s a small victory to be celebrated especially if it’ll make him shut up) but the truth is public officers need to know that they can lose their jobs when they make statements like that. He should have been fired,” Dr Mudiaga wrote.

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