A former spokesperson of the police in Lagos, Dolapo Badmus, has said that tattoo does not make people irresponsible as long as they can express themselves modestly.
Mrs Badmus spoke on Wednesday in Lagos at the ongoing Social Media Week 2020 during the session themed ‘Social Media Wars -Dreads, Tattoos and Password’.
Badmus also explained that no police officer has the authority or right to search people’s mobile devices.
“Police officers are only allowed to do so when there is a reason to carry out an investigation,” she said.
“The menace of officers of NPF stopping residents of Lagos and demanding to search their phones has become increasingly worrisome.
“Those officers demanding to search people’s mobile devices can be likened to walking up to a random man and asking him to pull off his boxers for the sake of a search operation.”
Citing herself as an example, Badmus said she could decide to keep vital information such as her bank account in her phone.
Badmus said there were also people who stored their bank statements in their mobile phones and it would be completely wrong for a police officer to demand to go through such devices.
She, however, noted that such a search was only appropriate “when there is a reasonable ground for doing so.”
Rapper, Micheal Ugochukwu, popularly known as Ruggedman, also said it was wrong for police officers to search people’s phones.
He called for reforms in the police for efficiency.
The Social Media Week, which began on February 24, will end on February 28.
