By MONDAY IJEH

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Ajao Adewale, has warned personnel against illegal detention and involvement in civil matters, especially land disputes and extortion.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday in Abuja by the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh.

Adewale said that the warning followed reports of unlawful detention for bailable offences, extortion of complainants and suspects, as well as interference in civil cases.

The CP described the acts as violations of constitutional rights of citizens and the directives of the Inspector-General of Police.

He directed all area commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Heads of Departments (HODs) to immediately, review and release suspects held for minor and bailable offences upon proper documentation and surety verification.

According to him, bail is free and any officer found collecting money for bail or documentation will be made to face strict disciplinary action.

“Police must not intervene in civil matters, particularly land-related disputes, which lie outside their jurisdiction.

“Any officer in violation, and supervisors who fail to enforce this directive, will be held accountable,” he said.

He condemned the act of demanding for payment before investigating cases and warned that it constituted extortion and abuse of office.

The CP, who warned that offenders would, henceforth, be prosecuted, cautioned the public against offering bribes.

According to him, it is a criminal offence under Section 118 of the Penal Code Act.

Adewale also warned the public against the misuse of police personnel for debt recovery or personal vendettas.

The CP, however, enjoined FCT residents to support the command in its efforts to ensure professionalism, accountability and respect for human rights.

He urged the residents to report any act of misconduct to the command’s Complaint Response Unit (CRU). (NAN)