Chibuzo Ihegboro
A rights group, the Rule Of Law Accountability and Advocacy Center (RULAAC), with support from the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), in collaboration with the Anambra State Police Command, have launched a platform to in curb the worrisome tide of police brutality, and bridge the gap between men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the citizenry.
The platform, Police Stakeholders Partnership Forum (PSPF), which was launched recently in Awka, Anambra state, also aims to address the deficit in monitoring capacity within communities and to fill the gap in citizens’ awareness of the Anambra State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2010.
Speaking at the launch, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Abang tagged the PSPF as a welcome initiative in ensuring a better security network in the state. “PSPF is a welcome move, and the purpose of the platform is to promote interaction among stakeholders, to track, report, discuss and resolve cases and incidents in the state, ” he said.
The aftermath of the PSPF launch was a capacity building workshop organized to train security stakeholders on the ‘Role of Citizens in Monitoring Police Compliance with the Anambra State ACJL 2010.’ At the end of the capacity building workshop, a WhatsApp Group of members of the PSPF was created with the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer representing the Anambra State Police Command on the platform.
Speaking on the impact of PSPF, RULAAC’s executive director, Mr. Okey Nwanguma explained that it would serve as a mechanism for holding NPF personnel to account for rights violations while growing skills and awareness to ensure prevention and reduction of such violations. According to Nwanguma, the PSPF has already become pivotal barely a few days after it was launched.
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“The platform has intervened in at least two cases since it was created. For example, the group issued a statement calling on the Anambra State Police Command to investigate the killing of one Nnaemeka Nnabuenyi (aka Onyeocha) at Umuokwu in Alor, Idemili LGA Anambra State on December 25, 2019. This was in response to the delay by the police in commencing investigation to resolve the raging controversy over who was responsible for the killing. Initial, reports pointed at a police officer. Later, reports said it was a DSS operative and later again, a vigilante group was said to have carried out the shooting.”
Some participants that spoke after training session vowed to turn a new leaf, and change their laisser-faire attitudes towards issues of human rights, and be more conscious and determined to defend their rights during encounters with the police and other law enforcement and security agencies.
