Rights activists want IGP to end unlawful detention of citizens

The Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR) has urged Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), to end the wanton cases of unlawful detention of suspects in the country.

Alex Omotehinse, national president of the CHSR, made the call at a news conference at the Liberation Centre, Ijaiye Lagos, on Sunday.

He said the IGP must, as a matter of urgency, address issues bordering on police brutality, unlawful detention, abuse of office, power and violation of citizens’ rights.

“As a rights group, we have received several complaints from Nigerians across the board on cases of harassment, intimidation, exploitation, favouritism and bias from police officers.

“We observed in the course of discharging our duties and settling disputes, some police officers, mostly the lower cadre, engage in actions contradicting the Nigeria Police Act and 1999 Constitution (as amended).

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“We demand that the IGP be firm and resolute in curbing actions and inactions of some police officers that usually drag the institution’s name in the mud,” Omotehinse said.

He decried a situation where a police command is handling a case, and the defendant will get the case transferred through favouritism without deference to the complainant, describing it as worrisome.

“Based on the vulnerability of the defender or complainer, the well-connected people, in collaboration with some police officers, will then use their influence to manipulate the system. They do this to evade justice and deepen the pain of the less privileged, who may not have the connections and resources to go around.

“This is the point where we are as a country and more reasons our correctional centres are densely congested,” he said.

Omotehinse cited a recent case, where one Asimiyu Suraju, a widower and father of twins, cried to the CHSR office to register a complaint. He said the complaint was against a cyberspace influencer using her relationship and connection with a senior police officer to get Suraju arrested and detained, unlawfully.