Respect rights of citizens, Olasoji warns police officers

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State command, Zubairu Muazu, has admonished police officers in the state to give their job a human face by dealing rightly with citizens whom they are meant to protect.

Zubairu gave this warning at the graduation of Course ‘35’ Police Human Rights Officer’s Training held at the Area F Command, Ikeja, through the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Akinbayo Olasoji, who represented him.

The CP noted that the police should apply the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to solve some matters instead of issuing detention order and allowing some cases get to court.

According to Olasoji: “It is now a new dawn in the Nigerian Police Force and we now have an IG with a listening ear and we all should be emulating the good things he is doing.”

Olasoji also noted that the training was to imbibe the culture of respecting human rights into police officers so that they will not tamper with their rights, thinking they are superior because they are in uniform.

He said: “We need to be civil and make the job attractive to those who wish to join us and not to be seen as enemies of the country. He urged them to be as civil as possible because if you are not nice to citizens, no community will partner with you or sponsor your events. The fact that one of the graduating officers who happens to be among the best students is an operative of Federal SARS shows that there is an improvement in SARS.”

In her speech, Mrs. Gloria Egbuji, Executive Director of Crime Victims Foundation, said the training is to further equip police officers with human rights knowledge as well as imbibing the tenets of human rights in the discharge of their duties, so that they can professionally serve the public.

Also, Mr. Ligali Frank Olakunle who represented the Director for Public Prosecution (DPP) urged the officers to put what they have learnt into practice and also to remember that issue of fundamental human rights are not transferable but deals with individual and personal liberty.

While citing section 34-39 of the constitution, Ligali asked the officers to allow it form the bedrock of their investigations as any violation of this is against fundamental human rights of an individual. “The rule of law is made for the advancement of the society,” he said.