….. says there must be public accountability and Transparency of the activities of Investigative units
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd has called for adequate funding for intelligence, investigations, and prosecution activities of the Nigeria Police Force by the Federal Government.
According to a press release on Tuesday, 3rd December 2024, signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, DIG Argungu also said the government must ensure public accountability and transparency of all the activities of investigative units. He spoke at a panel conversation on police leadership and police accountability organised for civil society representatives, policymakers, academia, the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, and international partners by CLEEN FOUNDATION.
The PSC Chairman’s paper was titled “National Summit on Police Accountability: Reviewing External, Internal, and Stakeholder Accountability Strategies and Mechanisms of the Nigeria Police Force/Service.”.
He said the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of FCIID should establish an internal public complaints and feedback system, adding that the investigators must be open and transparent in their dealings and must be accountable to the people at all times.
DIG Argungu also noted that there should be ethics for police detectives and investigators and that it must be enforced for professionalism.
He called for strict measures against officers of the Nigeria Police Force found in violation of human rights of citizens.
The PSC Chairman said individual police officers connected to the act of torture, which is purely a strict liability offence contrary to the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, must be dealt with accordingly.
DIG Argungu also called on the federal and state governments to review the current passive and obsolete criminal justice system at their various levels, adding that it should be done in line with the current globalisation, computerisation, and Nigerian environment.
He recommended the establishment of the FCT Police as a pilot scheme to be called the Metropolitan Police of FCT, Abuja, just like the Nambian Metropolitan Police in Windhoek, the capital of Nambia.
According to him, certain ranks of police officers, such as constables to chief superintendents, should be deployed to their locality to operate, stressing that members of the community should also be involved in the fight against crime and criminality in order to get to the root of the problem and “find a lasting solution.”.
