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Nigeria: Vigilante Groups Assist Police in Securing Lives, Property
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Leadership (Abuja)
9 May 2008
Posted to the web 9 May 2008
Esther Eziashi
Federal Capital Territory commissioner of police, CP Haruna John, has said that informal policing systems have contributed and would continue to contribute very significantly to the general safety, security and well being of communities in Nigeria since time immemorial.
John made this known during a one-day forum of informal policing in the FCT organised by Cleen Foundation in collaboration with the Nigeria police force.
The FCT police boss explained that the need for cooperation between the police and vigilante group was brought home by the growing realisation that the task of policing the society was a daunting and noble task requiring the inputs of all stakeholders.
According to him, funding of vigilante groups should be retroacted to individuals and groups in such a manner as not to allow undue influence by such individuals and groups.
Deputy executive director Cleen Foundation, Kemi Okenyodo, stated that the one-day forum of informal policing in the Federal Capital Territory was to bring together representatives of neighbourhood watches and informal policing groups from area councils in the FCT, and to open the communication channels between these groups and the FCT police command.
Kemi explained that it would provide an opportunity for law enforcement bodies and civil society groups to explain to community-based vigilante groups the rule of law of the country and how it relates to safety and security.
According to her, the forum would enable the FCT police command to lay the ground work for a formal registration process for the IPS which would also help to identify true members of vigilante groups as well as the provision of periodic human rights training for members.
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She revealed that a larger summit to this informal policing forum was being planned in Lagos State in collaboration with zone 2 (Lagos and Ogun States), saying that recommendations from both the Lagos State and FCT summits would be taken into consideration for a draft code of conduct for IPS groups to be used by the police to regulate and standardise the activities of IPS in the country.
Also speaking at the occasion, the executive secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Mrs. K. F. Ajoni, said Nigeria police force should be called Nigeria police service instead of Nigeria police force.
She revealed that there was no need for vigilante groups in the FCT because of it status as the capital of Nigeria.
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