Nigeria’s National Orientation Agency (NOA),a government body that promotes patriotism and civic values, denounced the actions of two police officers who were caught extorting money from a Dutch tourist in Abuja, the capital city.
The agency’s director general, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said in a statement that the officers were “unpatriotic and very bad representation of everything Nigerian” and praised the Nigerian Police for swiftly disowning, arresting and dismissing them from the force.
“These are not the real Nigerians. A real Nigerian is honest, dedicated, courteous, and hardworking. No real Nigerian would descend this low to demand bribes from a tourist. Let it be known that this is not us, this is definitely not the real Nigerian spirit,” Issa-Onilu said.
He also commended the Dutch lady tourist for reporting the incident to the authorities, saying that such behavior was “totally against the laws of our country.”
He urged citizens to report any unruly conduct by public officials.
Issa-Onilu said the government was working on a lifestyle charter that would spell out the promise of the country to its citizens and the citizens’ codes of duty to the country, which he said were above religious, tribal or political party sentiments.
“The government will not tolerate any act that put our country in a disreputable stance amongst nations,” he said.
The incident, which was captured on video and circulated on social media, sparked outrage among Nigerians and drew attention to the problem of corruption and extortion by some members of the police force.
The Nigerian Police said the officers involved had been identified, tried, and dismissed in accordance with the force’s disciplinary procedures.
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