PATRIOTIC:Human Right Lawyer(Mr Olasupo Ojo)Urges People Of The Police To Study Constitution.

A Human Rights lawyer, Mr Olasupo Ojo,
on Thursday in Lagos attributed the
impunity of some police officers against
people’s rights to their lack of knowledge of
constitutional provision.

Ojo said this at the 17th graduation of 233
human rights desk police officers under the
Lagos State Police Command and Zone 2 at
Ikeja.

He said that the officers should study the
constitution daily on human rights if they
must do well.

``Impunity can only be stopped in the
Nigeria police against people’s rights
through adequate knowledge by the
officers of the constitution.

According to him, they must study and
educate themselves every day through
different medium.

`` It is only when they know what the law
says that they will not violate people’s
rights. The police officers also need to be
empowered through capacity building.

``The commitment of the police authorities
to change the force to international
standard will also check impunity,’’ he said.

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Ojo said that the police of today needed to
project the change that would take place in
10 years time and work toward it, or else
there would be complaints of human right
abuse by the people.

``The Nigeria police must improve on its
human rights record. The Nigeria police of
today is different from that of 1999.

``The difference is the capacity building
and different training of the officers and
men by the current police leadership,’’ Ojo
said.

The human rights lawyer’s speech is titled:
``How Respect for Human Rights Can Curb
Police Impunity and Extra Judicial Killings in
a Democracy’’.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr
Umar Manko, urged the officers to ensure
that the training was reflected at their
respective divisions.

Manko, represented by the Deputy
Commissioner of Police, State CID, Panti,
Mr Samuel Adegbuyi, said that no matter
the offence, the officers should understand
that freedom was available for individuals.

``Don’t personalise cases. We are public
servants. Make what you have learnt from
the human rights training as 10
commandments.

``We don’t want to hear of issue bordering
on abuse of power by any officer,’’ Manko
warned.

Mrs Gloria Egbuji, the Executive Director,
Crime Victims Foundation, an NGO
facilitating the training, said that about
10,000 officers and men have been trained
so far on fundamental human rights laws.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports
that the best student officer, Insp.
Abodunrin Mukaila, expressed satisfaction
over topical issues they were taught within
the three months.

``Worthy of note are some of the topics
like human right abuse by police officers,
indiscriminate arrest and detention, police
brutality, extortion and corruption,
unnecessary use of force/fire arms.

``Other topics include global best police
practices and people friendly policing. They
will help us greatly to perform our duties.’’

Mukaila urged the organisers and the
Nigeria police to continue with such
training to build the capacity of the officers.
(NAN)

SOURCE:Leadership