After two months of intensive training, Lagos State Police Command, in collaboration with Crime Victims Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON), has completed the training of another batch of 171 officers in human rights and rule of law. The programme is part of ongoing efforts by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Abubakar Adamu, to give the force a ‘human face’ and bring it closer to the people, ADEBISI ONANUGA reports

For effective community policing, men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) must be friendly with  members of the society for them to develop trust and confidence in the force, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Ahmed Iliyasu, has said.”

“Except we are friendly with them, they will run away from us and the essence of community policing will be defeated”, AIG Iliyasu further stated.

He spoke at the 37th Graduation Ceremony of Human Rights Police Officers held at the Police Officers Mess, GRA, Ikeja. A total of 171 officers graduated at the ceremony.

Iliyasu, who was represented by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in-charge of Community Policing, Mrs. Bose Akinyemi, said the AIG, Abubakar Adamu, has been emphasising community policing and that it is the key point of his agenda.

“The essence of this is that we need to be proactive. We need to know the people we are policing especially in rural areas. Be polite to them and establish good relationship with them.

“We should go there, get ourselves familiarize with them, know them and the job they are doing”, he said.

Iliyasu listed key people the police should familiarise themselves with to include traditional rulers, community leaders, local chiefs market men and women leaders among others, stressing that they would assist them tackle crime and criminalities among the people.

He said the local leaders know the bad ones in their community and would expose them and their movements.

“To catch a monkey, you must behave like a monkey. They will provide information on crimes in their area. When you secure their community, they will trust you and assist you to be successful in your job”, he advised.

.Executive Director,  CRIVIFON, Mrs Gloria Egbuji, in her address, reiterated that the objective of the programme was to change the narrative and bequeathed friendly police officers who respect people. Egbuji who was represented by a training facilitator of the foundation, Evaristus Aloko, said human rights improve the image of the police and enables the people to be closer to them, share intelligence and assist them to make their work easier.

“The most sophisticated police in the world needs information to make the best of policing and provide safer cities and higher quality of life where fear of crime is nonexistent”, she said.

She added: “It was also to make police who are law enforcers not to be law breakers and help them carry out diligent investigation and interrogation without torture, make work of community policing much easier and attract more support from the people”.

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Lagos State Director, Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Yhaqub Oshoala, who was represented by an Assistant Director of Prosecution, Akin George, said that the directorate appreciates the efforts of the police at solving crimes and the activities of CRIVIFON as regards training of men of the force, adding that he looks forward to an improved police force.

George said that the narrative has also change in the manner the DPP advice is now been issued in respect of criminal cases saying that it now takes a maximum of two weeks from the time a case file is assigned to a counsel.

Vice Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, Okey Ilofulunwa, in a remark said there would be more intervention from the bar in order to change the image of the police for the better.

He drew the attention of men of the force to Order 20 of 2018 signed by former IGP, Ibrahim Idris and encouraged Police to work more with lawyers on justice delivery.

Ilofulunwa referred to section 36(C0 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which deals with ‘presumption of innocence until proven guilty’. “If we harp on this, it would improve the  quality of the work of the Police.

The NBA Lagos Vice Chairman who doubled as Human Rights Committee chairman of the association advised the Police to carry out proper investigation of crimes and other cases in order to secure convictions.

He said if they fail to get investigation right, their cases will collapse in court like ‘pack of cards’.

He also admonished them to give human face to the task of community policing in other to reduce crimes and criminality in the society.

Chairman, Chemstar Company Nigeria Limited, Mr Emmanuel Awode, who was the chairman of the graduation ceremony, expressed confidence that the training programme will ensure production of fine officers within the Police force.

Awode, who was represented by the Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Fola Aguda, urged the newly-trained human rights officers to use their training to give the force a human face.

The Director, Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC), Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Omotola Rotimi who was represented by Mrs Yetunde Babalola, advised members of the Police Force to always refer tenants-landlords, intestates, loans, inheritance and other similar matters to the Centre for fast and amicable resolution instead of litigation.