Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) has asserted that only five per cent of bad elements in the Nigeria Police Force are responsible for the negative perception of the Force, adding that the unprofessional conduct of these few bad eggs is damaging the police’s reputation.
The National Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Alhaji Mogaji Olaniyan, stated this while hosting a delegation from the Inspector-General of Police’s Complaint Response Unit (IGP-CRU), led by its Acting Head, SP Fidelix Jonah, at the PCRC headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, “We have resolved that we will redouble our efforts 1,000 times to make the policing system easier in this country. What the IGP wants is a single police force that will protect the rights of citizens. And by rejuvenating the IGP-CRU, we can see this in action. The bad eggs in the Nigeria Police Force are just five per cent, I can say. I have no apology.”
Addressing the delegation directly, the National Chairman said, “We are satisfied with the way you are piloting the affairs of the CRU. We know that, amongst the little five per cent, the fear of the CRU is the beginning of wisdom. You people are doing a very good job. We are proud of you.
“We have an appeal. During the course of your work, you will receive a lot of petitions, some of which will be genuine. But you will also receive some false information from members of the public. We want to appeal to you: any member of the public who gives you false information against any police officer, please, we beg you in the name of God, we want you to prosecute them.”
The Acting Head of the IGP-CRU, SP Fidelix Jonah, clarified that the CRU was not established to witch-hunt officers, stating that the unit seeks to address misconduct.
He said other objectives of the unit were to protect innocent officers and civilians, improve professionalism, enhance accountability and build confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
Noting that the success of policing ultimately depends not only on the police but also on the confidence and cooperation of the communities they serve, SP Jonah said the CRU could not achieve sustainable police accountability alone.
He therefore proposed areas of collaboration between the CRU and the PCRC, including joint public sensitisation programmes, community town-hall meetings and awareness campaigns in schools and communities, among others.