Yomi Shogunle advises Nigerians to speak pidgin to police officers to avoid trouble

Shogunle tweeted a video of the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, Tunji Disu addressing police officers in Pidgin about recent killings of Kolade Johnson and Ada Ifeanyi by police officers in Lagos

In the video, Disu said he was sure the policemen are ashamed of wearing their uniform now due to the recent cases of police brutality in the state.

He also wondered why police officers use the gun bought for them with the money gotten from members of the public to kill the people they are meant to protect.

He said in Pidgin English: “Make we com carry that same gun to kill members of the public wey we suppose to protect, they can never be happy with us. Some of us will spoil the name of the police. For God’s sake, why carry gun, cork gun for where many people dey?

“Sebi we no forget that thing wey dey teach us for academy or police college. Dem talk say it is better to allow armed robber to escape than to kill one innocent person,”

Reacting to the video and commenting about the language Disu deployed to address the police officers, Shogunle tweeted saying ‘’Lagos State will be calm if police chiefs in #Lagos do more of this’’

In the same tweet, he went on to advise Nigerians to avoid speaking Queen’s English with police officers adding that speaking pidgin aids proper understanding and it is another way to avoid trouble.

He tweeted: #YSGuide: For now, don’t go and be speaking Queen’s English with them on the road. For proper understanding talk to them in Pidgin, another way to avoid kasala.

Nigerians react to Shogunle's advice

Shogunle’s tweet about speaking pidgin English to police officers to avoid trouble has however become a controversial topic on social media. Here are some Twitter reactions to the advice.

Recall that earlier in April, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Bala Elkana, made a controversial statement about tattoos and dreadlocks in relation to cultism.

Elkana said police authorities have seen a connection between cultism and people that sport dreadlocks and draw tattoos on their bodies.