Groups plan assessment of 200 police stations

NOVEMBER 29, 2012 BY ADELANI ADEPEGBA LEAVE A COMMENT

Human rights organisations will between December 3 and 9, visit 200 police stations in 14 states to assess among other things the detention centres and quality of services in them.

Members of the group are Altus Global Alliance, CLEEN Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Justice 4 All.

They will visit police stations in Abia, Anambra, Akwa Ibom; Enugu; Federal Capital Territory; Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Niger, Rivers and Zamfara states.

The stations will be assessed based on international laws and protocols on policing and human rights.

Addressing journalists on the planned visit on Wednesday, in Abuja, Country Director, Justice 4 All, Bob Arnot, said the essence was to ensure accountability in the police.

According to him, the visit will enable local community groups to visit police stations and assess the quality of services delivered in them as well as to identify best practices used by police.

He said, “The programme relies on planned annual visits by community groups to their local police stations. They join people around the world to visit and and review their local police stations using a simple assessment tool kit composed of 20 questions based on five indicator areas drawn from international laws and protocols on policing and human rights.”

Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police, on the occasion, said the Nigeria Police had been participating in the programme since 2006.

He added that the force had benefitted from the project in human rights protection and knowledge.

Also, the regional representative of AGA and deputy executive director, CLEEN Foundation, Mrs. Kemi Okenyodo, said the visit would further bring the activities and the operations of the police to the public domain.

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