Civil right lawyer condemns human rights abuse by NPF officers

The Nigerian Police

CIVIL Rights Activist, Pelumi Olajengbesi has condemned the high rate of human rights violation by men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

Olajengbesi, who is the Convener, Office of the Citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stated this in Abuja Yesterday at a press briefing.

He said the law which established the police allows it to conduct search operation and arrest suspects but not to arbitrarily use their power.

He said as a result of this, about 40 persons have been killed within the last 12 months in Lagos, Edo and Osun States.

He appealed to the Federal Government to take disciplinary actions against officers found culpable stressing that the leadership of NPF should be changed.

He lamented the high spate of killings of youths across the country by police officers owing to refusal of victims to allow them search through their mobile phones.

Olajengbesi recalled the memo passed by the immediate past Inspector General of Police instructing the officers to stop indiscriminate search of people’s mobile phones.

He commended the National Assembly for passing the bill that seeks to expunge the term “force” from the name NPF and urged State House of Assemblies to do same in order to get better services from the Police.

Olajengbesi said: “The Nigerian police act empowers them to conduct search on anybody they suspect reasonably to have committed a crime, or in custody of anything that can amount to bridge of peace or national security. However this power is not absolute; we are worried today that the NPF is beginning to use the power that is vested by the law in a very reckless manner.

“That is why we are calling on the Nigerian government and the leadership of the NPF tame all these officers who are abusing the fundamental human rights of Nigerians across the country. They should ensure that the system is repaired and a leadership that understands the challenges of the system is put in place.

“By our estimation between 2016 to 2017 about 16 young persons have been killed in Lagos, in Edo state about 11 people were killed between two years and also in Oshogbo about 13 persons have been killed. What we see today is that the Nigerian police will stop people on the road and ask to search their phones, when this young people refuse such, they end up been killed.

“The Nigerian police does not have the power to conduct indiscriminate search on peoples privacies or phones, we want to remind the NPF that in 2016 the leadership of NPF passed a memo that giving an instruction that they should stop searching people’s phone on the road indiscriminately, when a person is suspected of committing a crime such person can be searched however this power must not be abused.

“It is stated clearly in the constitution in section 37 that every citizen of this country has a right to privacy, which includes right to communication, telecommunication and privacy of their phones. The Nigerian police act or discretion is more powerful than the Nigerian constitution.”

 Tribune.