The Nigeria Police Force has issued a public warning against social media pranksters who play expensive pranks on unsuspecting members of the public.
According to The PUNCH, this was stated by the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Command of the NPF, Benjamin Hundeyin.
“Anybody who assaults another person or disturbs public peace will be arrested. However, the Lagos State Police Command has not received any complaint in that regard. It means Lagosians are okay with it; that is if such things actually take place in the state. If we get reports about this, we will swing into action.
“Beyond that, if we see anybody disturbing the peace, such person would be arrested, even if no one makes a complaint. In the event that we have not spotted such persons, the next best thing is for members of the public to report such incidents.
“I must also state that assault does not have to involve physical contact. If a person acts as if they want to slap one and one gets scared, that can be classified as assault, according to the laws of the land.”
Hundeyin continued, “I had actually warned a particular prankster who goes about pouring water on people in the pretext that they should help him put the bucket/bowl of water on his head. I urge members of the public not to hesitate to bring such actions to the notice of the police. He appears to be based in Ibadan rather than Lagos, though. I warned him that the day someone calls the police and reports him, he will be in “soup” because he will be detained.
Also, a lawyer, Idris Balogun, cautioned pranksters to be careful of the types of pranks they played, as they could be held liable for both criminal and civil wrongs.
He said, “Pranks may be for entertainment purposes but if any injury is suffered by the victim be it physical, emotional, mental or psychological the prankster risks getting prosecuted for criminal liabilities, civil liabilities; or even both.”
Pranksters may face charges of assault (under section 252 of the Criminal Code), disturbance of the peace, or creation of a nuisance, the attorney claimed. The prankster will face manslaughter charges if the intended victim passes away as a result of the prank, the attorney said.
“In terms of civil liabilities, where criminal charges cannot be established, the victim can sue the prankster for assault and battery, tort of negligence or damages if the victim suffers any loss or damages as a result of the prank,” Balogun added.
