Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has urged Nigerians to resist the alleged demand for a mobilization fee by policemen before they perform their duties.

He also stated that no fewer than 250 lawyers who would be called to the bar soon would be absorbed into the police workforce to strengthen its legal directorate, providing more cordial and effective services to the Nigerian people.

Egbetokun stated that it was the duty of the police to receive complaints about issues that could disrupt peace and order and work to ensure their speedy resolution.

The police boss had created a stir at the ongoing annual general conference (AGM) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu State when he stated that the “issue of mobilisation is unknown to the Nigerian Police.”

Responding to a question about the demand for mobilisation from police officers by complainants before they undertake their jobs, Egbetokun, who had frowned at the development, assured that efforts were underway to address it.

“I want to state that this issue of mobilisation is unknown to the Nigeria Police. It is not in our statutory books. If you go to the police station, go online, type CRU Nigeria Police and lay your complaints there, it will be addressed adequately,” he stated

Represented by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Legal Services, Ohiozoba Ehiede, the IGP stated that the negative perception about the police was being addressed, stressing that the Police Act document is being implemented across all cadres.

“The Police Act is one document that we can stand tall and beat our chest, because it embraces the ethos of fundamental human rights of the citizens. In our training institutions, these human rights issues are being emphasised to police officers during training and those on refresher courses.

“All we ask is a little time for Nigerians to know that the police have taken a paradigm shift,” he assured.

The IGP also promised to cause investigations into the operations of the Tiger Base Unit in Owerri, Imo State, following complaints by members of the NBA about the notorious acts of its operatives.

Also speaking, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Professor Mike Ozekhome, had regretted that the annual general conference of the NBA had become an “annual ritual”, where members participate and go home without improving in their practice and advocacy.

He also regretted that lawyers “are now politicking more than professional politicians” and wondered when they had time to do their job for the good of the profession and society.

“Right now, positions for next year are already being canvassed. Now, what time do you have for governance if you continue to politic like professional politicians? Some lawyers, I have observed over the years, practice the bar; they don’t practice law again.

“Let us interrogate society, let us challenge impunity, and let us challenge governmental actions. Don’t live like lawyers on bread and butter alone. Stand up and stand tall,” he counselled his colleagues.

Contributing to the issue, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Professor Joy Ezeilo, stated that citizens’ rights and security cannot be discussed without considering women’s, gender, and children’s rights.

She advised that in the discharge of responsibilities by security forces, they must consider how citizens’ rights apply to all strata of society. (The Guardian)