State police: Committee proposes tough independent checks to stop abuse

The Steering Committee on the establishment of a State Police Service has proposed a strong and multi-layered oversight framework that would withstand political interference and pressure in the establishment of the SPS.

The committee, chaired by Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, disclosed this in its report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.

The committee, inaugurated by the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Olatunji Disu, said political pressure would be inevitable in the establishment of the SPS.

“The committee regards robust, independent, multi-layered accountability as the single most critical structural safeguard for ensuring that SPS serve their communities rather than their political patrons.

“The oversight architecture must be strong enough to withstand the full force of political pressure that will inevitably be brought to bear on it. A single oversight body, however well-designed, is vulnerable to capture.

“The proposed architecture creates overlapping, mutually reinforcing lines of accountability so that no single point of failure can permit systematic abuse to go unaddressed,” the report said.

According to the report, robust oversight of state police would be the foundation for public trust that would make effective policing possible.

It said an unaccountable SPS would rapidly become a feared and distrusted institution, and its operational effectiveness would be correspondingly diminished.

The report said the experience of the Nigeria Police Force accountability deficits included the damage done by #EndSARS, extortion scandals and deaths in custody.

It said this experience illustrated the devastating consequences of insufficient oversight for institutional credibility.

The report said the committee had proposed the establishment of State Police Service Commissions (SPSC) in each state as independent constitutional bodies, and that each should have a chairman who would be a retired High Court judge, a retired senior police officer, or a senior legal academic.

The report said the commission should also include two members with expertise in public administration, one civil society member with a human rights background, and one representative of the state’s traditional rulers’ council.

It said other members would include a women’s rights advocate and a youth representative under the age of 35.

The report said members would be appointed by the governor of the state and confirmed by the State House of Assembly, with a four-year tenure.

It said the functions of the SPSC would be to appoint, confirm, and promote all members of the SPS, and serve as disciplinary authority over all officers, including the power to demote, suspend, and dismiss.

The report said the commission would also be responsible for the review and approval of the state police budget before submission to the State House of Assembly.

It said the role of the SPSC would also include reviewing quarterly and annual reports of the State Police Ombudsman, as well as quarterly performance data on use of force, arrests, prosecutions, complaints, and custody conditions.

The report said the commission would also be responsible for publishing an annual report on the State Police Service’s performance and compliance, to be made publicly available. (NAN)