IG restates police commitment to protect human rights

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has again restated that the police is committed to protect all citizens and foreigners alike, and uphold their fundamental human rights.

Idris gave the declaration in Abuja at a “Human Rights Training Workshop for Police Human Rights Desk Officers” for all police formations in the FCT.

Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the Media Focal Person, Nigeria Police Human Rights Training Programme, in a statement on Monday, said the workshop was designed to equip the police with skills to hold human rights.

“It is aimed at empowering police personnel and other stakeholders with skills, knowledge and attitude to effectively discharge their duties in accordance with the rule of law and in compliance with human rights best practices,” Ibrahim said.

The workshop was organised by the police and was coordinated by Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) with the support of the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Other organisations which supported the workshop were the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Swiss Government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The I-G spoke through DCP Sola Okediji, the officer in charge of Inspectorate Unit at the Training Department of the Police Force Headquarters.

He assured that the police would “continue to operate according to the laws of the land, all regional and international laws and treaties’’.

Idris said that with the motivation given to the police by the Federal Government in terms of working materials, training and welfare, they would not fail in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities.

Mrs Ukamaka Osigwe, National Project Officer, Criminal Justice and Multidimensional Security at Nigeria Country Office of UNODC, said that the police were poised to counter recent adverse report by the Amnesty International.

The organisation had accused Nigerian security agencies, including the police and military, of human rights abuses.

Osigwe said the workshop was within the context of UNODC’s scope of work under the European Union Funded Project tagged: “Support to the Justice Sector in Nigeria”.

She maintained that the training would increase access to justice and respect for human rights and rule of law, especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable members of the society.

Commenting, Mrs Ogechi Ogu, PRAWA Programme Officer for Social Development and Rehabilitation, said that police human rights training programme had been held in three police training institutions.

The institutions, she said, were Police Academy, Wudil in Kano State, and Police Training Colleges in Ikeja and Kaduna), as well as police commands in Lagos, Cross River and FCT.

According to her, the Programme will hold in Anambra and Benue State Police Commands before the end of 2016.

“The target is to cover all police commands and other formations by the year 2020,’’ she added.

The Executive Director of PRAWA, Mr Yinka Lawal, said the training was aimed at updating the knowledge of the participants on the basic principles of human rights.

Lawal said that it was also to make them practice same at their places of assignments and wherever they found themselves.