BEFORE YOU SLAP A POLICE OFFICER, CHECK THE LAW AND THE PUNISHMENT
Nigeria Police Force ( Establishment) Act 2020 which came into force on the 17th of September 2022 repealed the Police Act 2004. It is a comprehensive law that governs the operations and conduct of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Act sets out various provisions that deal with the conduct of police officers, as well as the rights and obligations of citizens in their interactions with the police.
Regarding the offence of assaulting a police officer, Section 98 of the Nigeria Police Act provides that: a person who assaults, obstructs, or resists a police officer in the execution of his duties commits an offence.
The section goes further to state that any person who assaults a police officer in the execution of his duties with the intent to resist or prevent the lawful arrest or detention of himself or any other person, or to rescue any person from lawful custody, is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of Six Months or a fine of #500,000 or both.
Therefore, if a citizen beats a police officer while the officer is carrying out his lawful duties, the citizen can be charged with the offence of assaulting a police officer and may face imprisonment if convicted.
