Administration of Criminal Justice Act will enhance professionalism in police force – IGP

Mohammed Abubakar,  Inspector-General of Police, said the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) would enhance professionalism among officers and men of the Nigeria Police.

Abubakar said this in Benin, Edo on Wednesday in a message to a two-day training and capacity building for officers and men of Zone 5, Nigeria Police, comprising Edo, Delta and Bayelsa

The police boss said ACJA would reawaken the consciousness of the police by understanding the roles and responsibilities of police on key provisions of the Act.

Represented by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police in the zone, Mr Paul Yakadi, he noted that section 4 of the Police Act and Regulation spelt out the duties of police.

These, Abubakar said, included prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders and preservation of law and order.

Other duties, he said, were the protection of life and property as well as due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they were directly charged.

The IGP noted that with the current security challenges facing the country, the Nigerian Police was expected to rise up to its responsibilities and ensure that the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, abuse of human rights and other heinous crimes were curtailed.

“The Nigerian Police is closer to members of the public, there is need to respect the rights of the citizens,’’ he said.

He further said that the Nigerian Police in line with the directives of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) was expected to allow all chief magistrates within the state to visit all the police detention centres to ensure that no suspect was detained more than what was stipulated by law.

Abubakar explained that with the review of the force order 237 to accommodate the global best practices in respect of fundamental human rights, all men and officers must be conversant with the revised FO 237.

In his welcome remarks, Dr Benson Olugbuo, Executive Director, Cleen Foundation, organisers of the training, said that the police as gatekeepers of the criminal justice system required continued training and retraining.

Olugbuo said this would help them effectively deliver on their constitutional mandate to maintain law and order, protect lives and property in a professional manner within the confines of the law.