Nigeria Police are known to exaggerate or manufacture evidence against suspects
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has described as “outright falsehood” the claim by the Nigeria Police that they intercepted a truck-load of suspected hoodlums with dangerous weapons purportedly travelling from the Republic of Niger through Katsina to Nasarawa State
The NIS which condemned the “false alarm”, said that it was yet to discern the motive behind the misleading claim by the police.
The report, it said, “has the capacity of heightening fears and tension, especially in this critical period of ethno-religious and political upheaval in the country.”
The immigration service also faulted another claim by the Police that they intercepted a truck conveying 500 young men, 60 motorcycles and livestock to Abuja, saying the force had sexed up the numbers of people arrested and motorcycles confiscated.
In a statement, the service’s spokesperson, Joachim Olumba, described the police’s claim as an exaggeration, saying only 34 arrested persons and 29 motorcycles were handed over to his men at the Nyanya cattle market, in the suburb of Abuja, for scrutiny.
But the police has insisted that its claims on the arrests were correct and verifiable.
Spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said, “To the best of my knowledge, 246 persons were apprehended by our men. If in doubt, you can visit our office where you would be shown photographs as exhibit. On the alleged 500 hoodlums, I don’t know where they got their information from and I do not have any information on that development.’