The Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, on Monday, warned officers that strict penalties await those found guilty of unprofessional conduct.
The IGP’s warning follows his ban on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit from routine patrol on highways on Sunday.
In an address to personnel deployed to Ondo State for the governorship poll, Mohammed emphasised that officers who engage in abuse of powers in a “manner that degrades, endangers or threatens the life and other fundamental rights of the citizens shall be promptly arrested, processed through our internal disciplinary machinery and if found culpable, shall be dismissed from service.”
He added that such personnel could be charged to court.
“Let me use this opportunity to express my deep concern over the re-surging trend of unprofessional conducts by some police personnel who in utter disregard to their professional training, international protocols, constitutional dictates, Force policies, and ethical standards, have continued to drag the Force into acts that pitch us against the citizens we were engaged, paid, and statutorily obligated to serve and protect. I am in this instance, referring specifically to the excesses of personnel in the Federal and State anti-Robbery Squad and other special units that operate in mufti,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the United Nations and African Union Protocols expressly provide for the right to life, dignity, liberty and presumption of the innocence of an offender until otherwise proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria similarly guarantees the inalienable rights of citizens. It is in furtherance to this, that we collaborated with our development partners in updating the Nigeria Police Force Order 237, which guides the use of force in the line of duty by all police personnel.
“The message here, is that no component of our laws or international protocols authorizes the unlawful killing or degrading treatment of fellow citizens as law enforcement agents and no element of our professional training or ethical standards permits any police personnel to deploy lethal weapons either consciously or otherwise except as provided for in our statutes and in Force Order 237. Unfortunately, all the recent incidents of abuse of police powers violated these provisions.
“The Nigeria Police remains a disciplined organization that strives to advance its covenant with the citizens in relation to protecting their lives and property and safeguarding them against any form of threat, extortionist tendency or degrading treatment. I wish to therefore, reinforce the extant Force Accountability Policy which holds any officer professionally and criminally liable for the consequences of their actions.
“I am, therefore, sounding this note of warning loudly and clearly that henceforth, any police personnel that insists on being incorrigible by engaging in abuse of his or her powers in a manner that degrades, endangers or threatens the life and other fundamental rights of the citizens shall be promptly arrested, processed through our internal disciplinary machinery and if found culpable, shall be dismissed from service.
“In addition, such personnel could be charged to court in consonance with their level of criminal liability in the instance.”
He, however, charged all Heads of Departments, Zonal Inspectors General of Police, Commissioners of Police, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers or Sectional Heads to strengthen their supervisory control towards enforcing discipline among all ranks in their jurisdiction.
“I must emphasise that enough is enough. The nation and indeed the police under the current leadership shall no longer tolerate abuses associated with the Police,” he stated.
