The Nigerian
police has responded to a report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics(NBS)
alleging that officers of the police and Judges were the most corrupt in the
country.
In a statement signed by CSP Jimoh Moshood, the police
said;
The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been
drawn to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports published on the 16th August 2017 captioned
“Police officers, judges most corrupt in Nigeria – NBS (Bribery as experienced
by the population)”. The report was claimed to have been based on a survey
conducted in April and May 2016 across the Thirty Six (36) States of the
Federation and the FCT.
2. The deliberately ill-timed release of the
findings from a survey carried out two years ago this week is coming at a time
when the Nigeria Police Force has fully keyed into the change mantra of the
Federal Government of Nigeria “Change Begins with Me” and total war against
corruption. The Force has also established and repositioned the mechanisms of
the Force responsible for fighting corruption, bribery and other corrupt
tendencies within and outside the Force.
3. The Nigeria Police Force
after a careful study of the report, wishes to state categorically that the
report is entirely misleading, a clear misrepresentation of facts, essentially
based on hearsays which made it unempirical, and the survey instrument
absolutely inadequate and therefore a plain distortion of the improved situation
in the Force as a result of the renewed commitment and determination to fight
corruption, bribery and corrupt tendencies in the ranks of the personnel of the
Force.
4. For the avoidance of doubt, since the inception of the present
administration of the Nigeria Police Force in July 2016, after the reported
survey has been conducted and concluded, the Inspector General of Police has
introduced and implemented diverse internal reforms aimed at bringing corruption
to zero level in the Force as follows:
i. To ensure that Police Officers
operate within the principle of the rule of law and respect the rights of
Nigerians while performing their constitutional duties of protecting lives and
property and to abhor corruption, the Police formulated a new set of directive
principles titled “Our Creed” to reposition the minds and hearts of every Police
officer and launched with the following doctrines:
(a). We shall police
the country based on international core values of policing with
integrity
(b). We shall ensure that the rule of law prevails in our
actions and activities
(c). We shall respect diversity, display courage,
show compassion and demonstrate professionalism
(d). We shall operate
within the principles of Democratic policing
(e). We shall shun
corruption
(f) We shall make Nigeria safer and secured
II.
Similarly, to further make police officers imbibe a culture where the rule of
law forms the bedrock of our actions and activities, and give the fight against
corruption the bite and new impetus, this administration has commenced the
training of officers on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). The
Act is considered an important legislation because of its innovative provisions,
and every Police Officer has been enjoined to follow strictly the provisions of
the Act. This will to a very large extent has been reduced and eliminated,
instances of unlawful arrests, illegal detentions and inhumane treatments in the
police stations across the country that can tempt officers to corruption
tendencies.
III. The X-Squad Unit of the Force responsible for the
arrest, detention, investigation, and prosecution of any officer found wanting
and culpable of corruption, bribery or corrupt tendencies has been
reinvigorated, equipped and its personnel retrained with detachments in all the
Thirty-Six (36) States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja
to deal decisively with corruption allegations made against police officers to
eliminate corruption in the Force.
IV. The Re-launch of Complaint
Response Unit (CRU) to a more broadened Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit
(PCRRU) was carried out by the current Police Management Team to facilitate
dynamism and to promptly address complaints against officers of the Force
bothering on corruption. This unit is responsible for receiving and attending to
reports of corruption from members of the public against Police officers, it was
relaunched by the Inspector General of Police in Abuja in late 2016 and
subsequently launched simultaneously by Commissioners of Police in all the
Commands of the Thirty Six (36) States of the Federation and the FCT last
year.
V. Formation and take- off of Eminent Persons Forum across the
Thirty Six (36) States of the Federation and the FCT to create public
enlightenment campaign against corruption within the Force and inform the Public
of the free and unhindered access to the Nigeria Police Force to report
complaints of corruption against Police Officers.
5. The Nigeria Police
Force has been working with critical stakeholders in the Criminal Justice System
in the country’ and other local and International Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) including International Human Rights Organizations to train and re-train
Police Personnel to conform to international best practices to shun and detest
corruption, bribery and corruption tendencies. This has engendered a change of
attitudes and good disposition in the conduct of Police Personnel throughout the
country towards abstaining from corruption.
6. However, it must be
pointed out that the Nigeria Police Force sees the report as a clear
demonstration of mischief and calculated attempt to promote a campaign of
calumny against Police Officers. Nowhere in the report were references made to
either the improved transparency in the Nigeria Police Force or the sustained
daily sacrifice being made by gallant officers and men of the force in
confronting criminalities in the society.
7. The Inspector General of
Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris, NPM, mni wishes to reassure Nigerians and the
International Community that the Nigeria Police Force will continue to fight,
discourage and shun corruption, bribery and corrupt tendencies within and
outside the Force, and continue to discharge its statutory responsibilities
according to the rule of law despite the obvious distractions from the
report.
8. The renewed determination of the Force to adhere to
International Police Reforms and conform to standard principles, building trust
and confidence in the citizenry and above all comply and support the Federal
Government War Against Corruption remained unequivocal and unwavering.
