Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, on Thursday, slammed the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, over his directive that Nigerians should not take pictures with their cell phones and cameras during the forthcoming April polls.

He expressed his displeasure with the directive during the official presentation of an online media platform, reclaimnija.net, held at the Golden Tulip Hotels, Festac in Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos State.

Describing the IGP’s directive as “nonsense and illegal,” Soyinka said there was nothing wrong for citizens to monitor and record voting process with their cell phones and cameras.

However, he called on Nigerians to disregard the IGP’s directive by not only staying back, but to also record voting, counting and announcement of the results.

Soyinka, who was visibly embarrassed by the IGP’s directive, said that the order was tantamount to misdirection.

He said: “I wonder how the IGP expects the citizens to have adequate knowledge as well as exempt the INEC of any complicity.

“It is stupidity of the security agents to ban Nigerians from taking their cell phones and cameras to polling booths. If they do not go with it to polling booths, how will they monitor electoral misconducts? People should ignore it because it is contrary to electoral act. Police always confuse Nigerians just to suit their paymasters.”

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