Key highlights
- Arase warned Police officers against getting involved in land matters, debt collection or other civil issues.
- He expressed worries over increasing cases of human rights abuses by the police force.
- The PSC boss noted that there must be consequences for misconduct and benefits for exemplary behaviour by police officers, adding that benefits and burden must go together.
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Mr. Solomon Arase, has warned police officers against delving into land matters, debt collection and issues that should be handled through alternative dispute resolution.
According to a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations of PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, the warning was given by Arase when he played host to the national leadership of the Police Community Relations Committee in Abuja.
Arase, who is a former Inspector General of Police, promised to remain a strong advocate of community partnership in policing, saying he was worried over the increasing cases of human rights abuses in the police.
There must be consequences and benefits for every action
The PSC boss pledged to work in partnership with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, to reinvigorate the Nigeria Police Force for better performance.
Arase noted that for the police to excel in its day-to-day operations, there must be consequences for misconduct and benefits for exemplary behaviour, adding that benefits and burden must go together.
He also promised to work hard to complement the efforts of the police to ensure that their operations conformed with the rules of engagement and pledged to support the committee in areas they needed his support.
Special promotion for deserving police officers
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee, Alhaji Mogaji Olaniya, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his appointment, stressing that Arase remained the best for the job.
Olaniya said the committee was at the PSC office to congratulate the chairman on his appointment and to let him know that the committee was vigorously building on the legacies he established as the 18th IGP.
He made a case for a special promotion for deserving police officers to encourage them to put in more effort in the service.
- He said, “We are here to say that the fruit God used you and others to plant has germinated. We are here to rejoice with you and show your love.”
- “The committee will be 39 years old on May 8, and on May 9, we want to celebrate it and we are inviting you to the celebration.’’
What you should know
- The Supreme Court had in an earlier pronouncement warned the Police and Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against recovering debts and investigating disputes from civil transactions.
- The debt recovery by law enforcement agencies, especially by officers of the Nigerian Police Force and the EFCC has become a recurring issue in the country’s justice system.
- Debt recovery and contractual breaches are civil cases, which, according to the Police Act are not the duties of police officers.
- For instance, sections 4 and 5 of the Nigerian Police Act 2020 enumerated the functions of the police. In all the functions of the police listed in both sections, there is no function that says the police officers can recover debts from individuals or make an arrest of an individual on the basis of debts owed.
- In addition, several courts have ruled that the police are not debt collectors and should not be involved in activities that involve debt recovery.
- It is only lawful to involve the police in debt recovery when there are criminal activities in the monetary transaction such as the issuance of dud cheques, fraudulent means of obtaining loans, etc. Here, agents like the Police or the Economic Financial Crime Commission will be legally involved.
