COVID-19 lockdown: How Lagos police officers rescued stranded pregnant woman who went into labour at 3am
Nigerians do not get to see heroic acts from operatives of the Nigeria Police Force all the time, when such reports eventually come in the midst of the dozens of cases of human rights abuse and brutality, they make news headline.
It came as a surprise to many when the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos Police Command tweeted at the weekend that its men rescued a woman who went into labour at 3 am. She was assisted to the hospital where she eventually gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday.
The RRS said the distressed husband of the pregnant woman was found on the street in Ikoyi stranded at 3 am on Friday looking for a vehicle to convey his wife to the hospital but could not find any due to the lockdown imposed on Lagos and other cities by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“At about 3:00 a.m. on Friday, our officers on normal patrol of their beat around Ikoyi came across a man in distress. He was accosted and questioned where he was heading to that early during a lockdown. The man impatiently blurted out that his wife was in labour and that he had been looking for vehicle for some time to no avail and he had no means of getting her to the hospital. He got into our vehicle and was rushed down to his home,” the RRS official handle tweeted.
“Both man and wife were immediately taken to the hospital in Obalende. Our officers took time out today (Sunday) to check the family at their residence having been off duty yesterday. Behold, the wife had been delivered of a beautiful baby girl. Both mother and child are doing well.”
Just last week, the Nigerian security operatives attracted criticisms and made news headlines on several international media over their unprofessional way of enforcing the lockdown orders imposed by government to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a report released last Wednesday indicted the security operative enforcing lockdown orders and said its findings indicated that they have killed more people than COVID-19.
The Lagos RRS headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Tunji Disu, are popular on social media as “The Good Guys”, and have received commendations in the past for several heroic acts.
The RRS operatives have been commended in the past for their timely rescue of a number of people trying to jump into the Lagos lagoon through the third mainland bridge during their regular security patrol of the area.
“Are these police officers from Nigeria? Because this is very surprising. Kudos to you,” a Twitter user asked.
Another user wrote: “Wow, for the first time I can boldly say I’m proud of the Naija police force, keep it up.”
“At least this is a good news have ever had about the Nigerian police. Good work God bless Nigeria God bless the Nigerian police on this one,” Timi Adeniyi tweeted.
A popular medical doctor on Twitter, Jeremiah Jackson (@drpengking) wrote: “Is this Nigeria or am I dreaming? These is the kind of news I used to read from Florida County Sheriff. Behold I am now reading it from Obalende Sheriff. Everything don finally stew for this country. Thank you Coronavirus.”
In a post on its Twitter page yesterday, the police outfit wrote: “At about 3:00 a.m. on Friday, our officers on normal patrol of their beat around Ikoyi came across a man in distress. He was accosted and questioned where he was heading to that early during a lockdown. The man impatiently blurted out that his wife was in labour and that he had been looking for vehicle for some time to no avail and he had no means of getting her to the hospital. He got into our vehicle and was rushed down to his home.
“Both man and wife were immediately taken to the hospital in Obalende. Our officers took time out today (Sunday) to check the family at their residence having been off duty yesterday. Behold, the wife had been delivered of a beautiful baby girl. Both mother and child are doing well.”
