Following the rise in extra-judicial killing by men
of the Nigeria Police Force, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in
Edo State, Chief Francis Inegbeniki, on Sunday advocated for proper increase in
training duration for policemen from the entry point.
Inegbeneki made the call in Benin-city, the state capital, while expressing his views
on the increase of exrta-judicial killings in Nigeria by policemen.
He argued that the six months at Police Academy is
grossly inadequate, adding that since handling of arms is part of their duty,
they should be meant to go through proper tutelage to avoid unnecessary and
unjust killings of Nigerians.
The APC leader, while commending the Inspector
General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, for his efforts to reform the
Police force, urged him to also beam his search light on Edo State, where he
said cases of extra-judicial killings and police brutality abound.
According to him, “The constitution of Nigeria is
very clear. You cannot take life unjustly; nobody is empowered to kill unjustly
or unlawfully. This issue of extra-judicial killing is worrisome. I think there
is something fundamentally wrong with the police, the police hierarchy needs to
do more, particularly during their training, and I beg to ask the question, ‘is
six months enough to train a police officer’? I don’t think so.
“Most of the police officers you see on our streets
only go for training for six months and they are armed. I don’t think they have passed through the
proper tutelage. Extra-judicial killing is condemnable. In the last few months
we have witnessed increase in extra-judicial killings, and during training,
police are thought how to use firearms, it is therefore condemnable and all
Nigerians must rise up against it.
“Recently in Benin-city, there are two cases
reported where people were arrested, taken to police station only for the
family to be told that their love ones have being killed. You can only be killed
through a court judgment.
“I called on the IG to beam it search light on Edo State
over what is happening. There are reported cases of somebody arrested on election
day, taken to Esigie Police station and today, his whereabouts is unknown. IG
must beam his searchlight on the state and Nigeria in general."
No comments:
Post a Comment