As part of support to the Police Reform Initiative in Nigeria, to shape perceptions and enhance awareness of the law and the ongoing Police Reform process, the Inspector-General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba has launched 2,000 copies of the Police Act, 2020; 2,000 copies of the Presidential Roadmap on Police Reform; 4,000 copies of Frequently Asked Questions produced in English, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo; and 1,000 flash drives containing various legislations on policing in Nigeria.
At the launching ceremony of the Nigeria Police Force Strategic Communication Materials, Tuesday 4 April 2023 at the Force Headquarters Abuja, the IGP commended the efforts of the United Nations for Development Programmes (UNDP) and the Police Reform and Transformation Office (PORTO) dedicated efforts owards fostering reforms in the policing system of the country.
Speaking to Journalists, Chief Executive Officer and Senior Special Adviser to the President on Research and Strategy, Mr. Tunji Lardner noted that what to deduce from the Police reform roadmap document is that, it details a new vision for policing in Nigeria and the strategies to achieve this vision through deliberate implementation of the principles and practices of reform namely - Building Trust and Legitimacy, Leadership, Accountability Policy and Oversight, Technology & social media, Community Policing & Crime Reduction, Officers Training & Education and Funding, Officers Welfare, Wellness & Safety.
Lardner stresses that the drive to reform the Police will not "fall apart like previous ones as President Muhammadu Buhari's commitment to reform the Police Force speaks volume, in the sense that it follows his assent to the Police Bill (now law) in 2020; which repealed the old colonial law of 1943, as well as the Police Act cap.19 2004.
He added that a daring move as the disbandment of the SARS unit of the police shows the readiness to see the process through, while keeping in mind that the Police Reform Roadmap represents a consolidation of previous police reform initiatives and a blueprint for actualizing the reformist imperatives embedded in the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.
Also, while presenting the 500-Bed NPF Field Deployments Base Camp (BARRACKS) Using Tented Camp Equipment Donated by The GS-Foundation, Mr. Tunde Oyekunle da Costa said, Assembly of Tents:GS-Foundation Installation & Assembly Team shall be travelling to Nigeria to supervise and train NPF Works Team on the first camp project being proposed in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Similarly, the IGP in conjunction with the European Union (EU) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), launched newly produced Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Conduct of Investigations; Arrest and Management of Persons in Police Detention and Custody; Conducting Investigative Interviewing; Search and Seizures; Identification Parade; and Conducting Stop and Search to boost smooth investigation, interrogation, and effective use and enforcement of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in Nigeria.
SpyeTV News reports that, the Police Reform and Transformation Office (PORTO), Presidency, led by its Chief Executive Officer and Senior Special Adviser to the President on Research and Strategy, Mr. Tunji Lardner handed over Nigeria Police Force Strategic Communication Materials and other working tools produced by Supporting Police Reform Processes in Nigeria (SPRPiN) project led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Security Sector Reform Foundation (GS-Foundation) in collaboration with PORTO, CLEEN Foundation, the NPF and the office of Chief of Staff to the President.
The documents have been produced and circulated to officers and men having undergone necessary training sessions which will be continuous.
The Video below: