Why you must assist a police officer in danger or under assault

Section 99 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020 made it clear that “when a person is called upon to aid and assist a police officer who is, while in the discharge of his duty, assaulted or resisted or in danger of being assaulted or resisted, and the person refuses or neglects to aid and assist, the person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of three months or both

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Nigeria Police Force, NPF has alerted Nigerians about the consequences of refusing to assist a police officer in danger or under assault.

In a statement, Police Force PRO, Muyiwa Adejobi said failure to assist a police officer in danger or under assault is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for three months or both.

According to him, section 99 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020 made it clear that “when a person is called upon to aid and assist a police officer who is, while in the discharge of his duty, assaulted or resisted or in danger of being assaulted or resisted, and the person refuses or neglects to aid and assist, the person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of three months or both”.

Speaking on assault on a police officer on duty, he said section 98 of the Police Act 2020 states a person who “assaults, obstructs or resists a police officer in the discharge of his duty, or aids or incites any other person to assault, obstruct or resist a police officer or other person aiding or assisting the police officer in the discharge of his duty commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both”, he said.

Adejobi added that section 197 of the Criminal Code Act in Nigeria provides that “any person who in any manner obstructs or resists any public officer while engaged in the discharge or attempted discharge of the duties of his office under any order, Act, law, or Statute, or obstructs or resists any person while engaged in the discharge or attempted discharge of any duty imposed on him by an order, Act, law, or statute, is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for two years”.

He explained that section 42 of the Police Act 2020 stipulates that a person is bound to assist a judge, magistrate or police officer or other person reasonably demanding his aid in arresting or preventing the escape of a suspect whom the the judge, magistrate, police officer or other person is authorized to arrest.