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By: Godwin Otang – Calabar
In the light of the October 2020 nationwide #ENDSARS protest, the Nigerian Police, Justice Sector, lawyers and other security agencies have identified poor funding, logistics and obsolete infrastructure as the major limitations of the Nigerian Police.
According to systematic reviews of the situation by stakeholders, the funding logistics and obsolete infrastructure, are the reasons why the Nigerian Police hasn’t still lived up to expectations especially as it relates to the administration of the implementation and the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act many years past.
In a joint stakeholders engagement, and a Training of Trainers capacity Building on Criminal Legislation held in Calabar Cross River state, stakeholders decried the abandonment of the #ENDSARS Panel in Cross River, which according to them “yielded no fruits, hence still leaving the Nigeria Police at a status quo”.
However, in an exclusive interview with Tribune Online, Police Superintendent, Edosa Sammuel, who is in charge of Police Legal Session, Cross River State Police Command, explained that, “What we have gathered from this training today beats my expectations. In fact the extent of the Criminal Justice Act, which includes quick dispensation of justice, unifying various criminal laws between the southern and northern part of Nigeria, which appeared to be divisive before now, was made clear to everyone.
“The first challenge that the Police have is finance and then logistics, when you go to some of these our stations we don’t have logistics. We have a situation where our Commissioner of police had to curve out N270,000 from his pocket to finance a mission from Calabar in Cross River to Aba in Abia state, to go and recover stolen children.
“It’s a herculean task, and then good working environment. To gather evidence is not an easy thing, sometimes the eye-witnesses refuse to testify when they know Police are involved. We have issues with funding. Funding is our main challenge. We need much funding to be able to Carry out this our assignment,” Edosa explained.
Meanwhile, on his part, Human Rights Lawyer and Secretary Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, Cross River state, Barrister James Ibor advised that the Police should within the available resources, not be found wanting.
“Training and continues refreshable training for Officers of the security agencies like the Nigeria Police Force, Directional Service, NSCDC, and other services involved in civil policing should continue to equip themselves with the law for effective management of the Criminal Justice space.
“I agree perfectly, that funding is the main challenge of the Nigeria Police, because most of those security agencies out there do not have the required or necessary tools to implement the provisions of ACJ Act effectively.
“But we encourage the officers themselves, that within the resources available, they should not be found wanting.”
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