PWAN Appeals to Govt, Others For Implementation Beyond Paperwork of 2020 Police Act

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…Train Journalists and stakeholders to Join Forces for enlightenment opportunities for citizens to know their rights

In continued efforts to advocate for the rights of Nigeria citizens and bridge the stereotyping gap between the Nigerian Police Force and Citizens, the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative also known as PartnersWest Africa Nigeria has joined forces to train Journalists, Media Practitioners, and relevant stakeholders to the need to advocate for proper implementation of the 2020 Police Act.

The meeting/ training was held on Thursday in Lagos Nigeria, by the Non- governmental organization to educate Nigerians about their rights without contradicting the Police Act 2020.

In her welcome address, the Executive Director PWAN, Kemi Okenyodo said the organization is dedicated to enhancing citizens’ participation and improving security governance in Nigeria and West Africa broadly, achieved through the rule of law, citizens security, and CSO strengthening program areas.

Okenyedo who was represented by the communication Officer, PWAN Ogechukwu Mohanye posited that the meeting is pertinent to fill the knowledge gap and enable the general public to know their rights, especially with new the Police Act 2020.

She also noted that there are innovations in the 2020 Police Act, which are the Humane treatment of an arrested person(s) Arrested without a warrant, or with a warrant.

Mohanye added that the meeting was organised to educate the public and specifically the media organizations about the Police Act 2020, its impact on police-citizen interactions, and media reporting.

According to her “This meeting is an essential step to strengthening trust, transparency, and accountability between law enforcement and the community. Today’s townhall meeting serves as an opportunity for us to: Unpack the critical provisions of the Police Act 2020 and its innovations, Explore the role of the media in fostering responsible and rights-based reporting on sensitive issues like arrests, stop-and-search, and profiling as well as discuss actionable strategies to bridge gaps in understanding and implementation of the Act across Nigeria.”

“With support from the UK Integrated Security Fund of the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) is implementing the project titled “Enhancing Police Governance: Deepening Understanding of the Police Act 2020 and Regulations Across Nigeria specifically in Kano, Plateau, Borno, Edo, Lagos, Enugu states, and the FCT.

“The project seeks to address critical gaps in the understanding and application of the Police Act 2020 and accompanying regulations within the Nigerian Police Force (NPF)”.

“This is an important initiative to ensure that both the public and the media understand their rights and responsibilities under the new law and the expected conduct of police officers. She submitted.

Meanwhile, a lawyer, and Programme officer at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research/Mac Arthur Foundation Projects on Corruption Control in Nigeria, Tosin Osasona, called on the government to engage more lawyers in the Nigeria Police for prosecution at the magistrate court.

He argued that despite the fact the Police Act 2020 restricted police officers who are not lawyers from prosecuting cases in court, Nigeria has less than 300 lawyers as prosecutors in its magistrate courts.