IG warns officers against unlawful detention, others

THE Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has said he would use his tenure to get rid of things that give the Nigeria Police Force a bad image such as road-blocks, unlawful detention and incivility to members of the public.

Arase, who disclosed this while speaking at the Gombe State Command during his one-day working visit to the state, said that once these issues are out of the way, there would be a sensitisation to educate officers that the rights of Nigerians should not be abused by keeping them in police custody for so long.

He said that officers should be well-trained in order to gather evidence before inviting someone for questioning, adding that once the person is invited, the officer must be able to provide evidence and within 48 hours, the accused person should be able to know his/her fate.”

The Inspector-General of Police, who stated that the reforms going on in the Force is to help Nigerians have a better relationship with the police and make them (police) accountable for whatever they do, appealed to the public to support and appreciate the Police Force in order to achieve growth and development in the sector.

Also speaking at the occasion, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdullahi Kudu Nma, said that as a result of Boko Haram attacks, the command has lost a large number of its personnel.

Nma said most of the divisional police headquarters and out-posts have been destroyed by the insurgents, adding that the major challenges in the command is dearth of manpower as hundreds of personnel of all cadres were transferred out of the command without replacement.

“It is against this background that I humbly crave the indulgence of the Inspector-General towards posting more personnel to the command to augment its fast-dwindling manpower base”, he said.