Police abuses go unpunished due to citizens’ ignorance of the Police Act — PWAN — News — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

The Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), has given insight into why members of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) go unpunished for misconduct and abuse of power.

PWAN Program Officer, Ijeoma Igwe, made the statement during the Town Hall Meeting on Human Rights, Police Act 2020 and Police Regulations in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Improving Police Governance: Deepening the Understanding of the Police Act 2020 and Regulations Across Nigeria.”

“Many citizens are unaware of their rights under the Act and as a result may lack the confidence to hold the police accountable for misconduct or abuse of power,” he said.

According to Igwe, PWAN, with the support of the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), is implementing the project in six geopolitical zones, particularly Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Borno and FCT. Understanding the Police Act 2020 and its regulations.

He expressed optimism that the project would address critical gaps in the understanding and implementation of the Police Act 2020 and relevant regulations within the NPF.

He said: “One of the activities of the project is to hold town hall meetings to raise public awareness of the latest changes and reforms within the police force contained in the Police Act 2020.

“Through these town hall meetings, we aim to raise awareness of citizens’ rights under the Police Act 2020, allowing us to address the lack of public knowledge regarding human rights and the provisions of the Police Act 2020.

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“We will cover key aspects of the Police Act 2020 provisions and police regulations, all of which are important to creating a transparent and accountable relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.”

Chairman of the FCT Police Public Relations Committee (PCRC), Dr. In his speech, Rufus Ebegba informed the audience that a reform in the police force was ongoing. He stated that the PCRC worked closely with the police to ensure that it did not operate outside applicable laws.

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Ebegba, who insisted that bail should remain free in all police units in the country, refused to specify specific cases, explaining that the law also gives the police and authority the power to seek bail in some cases.

“There is a reform going on right now in the police force. The current Inspector General of Police emphasized the need to ensure that citizens are not oppressed and that citizens’ rights are protected.

“And the PCRC worked closely with the police to ensure they were not doing things they should not have done. Citizens should also not want to unnecessarily influence the police by giving them money because they are not patient enough to exercise their rights.

“Yes, bail is free. If you insist that you will not pay anything, no police will force you to pay anything.

“Bail is free. And you know, the law also gives the police the power to apply for bail in some cases, and you make the payment on behalf of the Federation, not any police officer.”

Obiora Nwosu, deputy director at the Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC), emphasized that citizens should be informed about the provisions of the 2020 Police Act and stated that the commission is working to improve the identification capacity of citizens. when their rights are violated by law enforcement.