Commission begins probe of policemen over misconduct, brutality, others

FOLLOWING reports of police brutality and misconduct nationwide, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has asked the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, to produce the policemen involved in alleged misconducts, ranging from extra-judicial killings to brutality and abuse of human rights, for investigation.

In another development, IGP Arase yesterday decorated two more members of the police management team with the ranks of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs). They are Chintua Amajor-Onu and Adeniji Jubril Olawale.

A statement by the Police Spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the IGP is “obviously satisfied with the professional pedigree of the new DIGs”, whom he advised to bring to bear their wealth of experience in the management of the police force.

The Commission, which is vested with the responsibility of holding policemen accountable for their actions or otherwise in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, said the Chairman, Mike Okiro, “has directed that cases of gross police misconduct should subsequently be treated with dispatch.”

The statement said notice is taken by the Commission of “several reports from both the media and the public on allegations of unlawful police actions and has decided to institute investigation into these perceived anomalies in the interest of the rule of law, human rights and natural justice.”

It said the body would no longer tolerate acts of misconduct by the police, especially as they relate to human rights abuse and brutality, and as such, all police officers involved in serious cases of bad behaviour would henceforth appear before the disciplinary committee.

The Commission, therefore, said it had taken up three cases with a view to resolving them as soon as possible, which include:
• “An alleged brutalisation of woman with an eight-month-old pregnancy at the Satellite area of Lagos State who was said to have lost her pregnancy due to an alleged police indiscretion;
• “The death of one Benson Obode who was said to have been arrested in Benin City, Edo State on May 21, 2015, by policemen and detained in a police cell where he allegedly died; and
• “A petition from a human rights group, “Youth Advancement and Leadership Development Initiative (YAALDI)” over an alleged gruesome murder of a young lady “due to the careless and negligent driving by some men of the Nigeria Mobile Police Force who were on duty and escorting a bullion van.”

Head of Press and Publicity of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said:“Okiro has directed the IGP to summon before the PSC all erring police officers involved in the three cases.