The City Boy Movement has defended the attendance of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, at the inauguration of its Lagos State chapter, insisting that his presence should not be interpreted as political endorsement.
The clarification follows public criticism sparked by a viral video showing the Lagos Police Commissioner at the inauguration of the City Boy Movement’s Lagos State Chapter Executive Committee in Ikeja on Tuesday.
The footage, which circulated widely on social media, captured the police chief arriving at the venue, exchanging pleasantries with dignitaries and moving around the event alongside other attendees and security personnel.
The development triggered concerns about the alleged involvement of the Lagos Police boss in partisan politics, particularly as preparations for the 2027 general elections begin to gather momentum.
Reacting in a statement, the National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response for the City Boy Movement, Bashir Ahmad, said the Commissioner’s attendance at the event was being misinterpreted.
He stressed that the mere presence of a senior police officer at a public gathering does not amount to political endorsement, partisan participation, or institutional support for the organisers.
According to Ahmad, public officers responsible for maintaining law and order routinely attend or deploy personnel to political, civic, religious, educational, professional and community events as part of their official duties where security considerations require their presence.
He noted that the constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force includes maintaining public peace, protecting lives and property, preventing and detecting crime, and ensuring law and order during lawful public gatherings, regardless of the organisers.
Ahmad argued that these statutory responsibilities are performed without discrimination and should not be construed as evidence of political affiliation or institutional bias.
“It is neither fair nor accurate to conclude, solely from the Commissioner’s attendance, that the Nigeria Police Force has adopted a partisan position or compromised its professional neutrality,” the statement said.
He added that the City Boy Movement respects the constitutional role and institutional independence of security agencies, stressing that the group neither seeks nor expects preferential treatment from any arm of government.
The organisation maintained that, like every law-abiding group, it only expects its lawful activities to receive the protection guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other applicable laws.
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