The Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has charged the Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to immediately commence a process to reform the police force.
According to the CDHR, the process of internal cleaning within the police force should be seen “as a way of flushing out bad eggs who have consistently indulged themselves in corrupt practices and other related constitutional breaches that had constantly ridiculed the reputation of the police force in the society”.
In a statement by the CDHR National President, Comrade (Dr.) Kehinde Prince Taiga, the group faulted the negative effects of “godfatherism” within the force, noting that the misconducts of most officers at the divisional level were carried out with impunity because the majority of those involved, including the Divisional Police Officers themselves, have somebody influential above they pay regular homage, thereby making them ‘untouchable’ even when they are culpable.
The CDHR said: “We want to appeal to IGP Egbetokun to, as a matter of urgency, put an end to ‘godfatherism’ in the force, as the first step in realising police reform. This has become very necessary as some officers now see themselves as ‘untouchable’ and can commit any crime and get away with it simply because they have a senior officer at the force headquarters they pay homage to protect them.
“The new IGP must also make it a point of duty to ensure the prompt discipline of any erring police officers whose case had been investigated and found to be guilty. It is pertinent that such disciplinary measures are made public to serve as a deterrent to other officers who may want to carry out similar misconduct or crime at their various duty posts”.
On insecurity, the CDHR urged the new IGP to take community policing more seriously and provide the needed enabling environment for the effectiveness of vigilantes to complement the efforts of the police, noting that a lot can be achieved in fighting criminals in any community when there is synergy between the police and the locals.
While urging Egbetokun to see his appointment as a call to serve the people and not to be served, CDHR advised him to carry out routine visits to various police formations across the country to better understand their challenges in terms of manpower, logistics, and weapons to carry out their policing duties and provide for them whatever is lacking to enhance their performance on the job.
On security votes, CDHR charged the Federal Government to pass an Executive Order compelling the state governors who have come to see security votes as a conduit pipe to siphon public funds to channel such funds to assisting the police at the various state Commands while the local government chairmen should also fund the Divisional Police units in their areas for more efficiency in protecting lives and property.
“We use this medium to also appeal to Acting IGP Egbetokun, to pay more attention to the synergy between the force and the civil society groups in the country, especially in the area of human rights abuse. This would no doubt enhance mutual trust and respect between the police and populace they are protecting”, the group further stated
The CDHR commended President Bola Tinubu over Egbetokun’s appointment, describing his choice as appropriate and timely in the ongoing efforts to re-positioning the force.
Similarly, the group hailed the appointments of new service chiefs and National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, as well as other security architecture, including the Customs, stating that with the new ideas of these high-ranking military officers and individuals, the issue of insecurity across the nation may likely be reduced to its nearest minimum.
