The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has warned that both police officers who demand or accept money for bail and those who pay will be arrested and prosecuted.
Disu also urged Nigerians to trust the police, stressing that bail is free and no one should pay money to secure the release of an arrested person.
The IGP spoke through the Head of the Nigeria Police Force Complaint Response Unit (CRU), Superintendent of Police Awu Fidelis Jonah, during a road walk organised by the Eagle Crime Awareness and Prevention Initiative (ECAPI)-CRU.
The rally, themed “Say No To Impunity, Say No To Crime, Police Is Your Friend”, aimed to strengthen relations between the police and the communities they serve.
Police seek to rebuild public trust
Jonah described the campaign as an important step towards rebuilding public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
He said the initiative would promote accountability and help restore trust between police officers and members of the public.
“This is an important event, considering that we are trying to rebuild the trust we lost with the members of the public. This is a good initiative by ECAPI. This will bring back the confidence and accountability the public expects from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF),” he said.
Jonah reiterated that bail is free and that neither arrested persons nor their relatives should be asked to pay for it.
“Bail is free and no one is expected to pay a dime whenever they or their loved ones are arrested. The IGP has emphasised that nobody arrested is expected to pay anything.
“The giver and the taker will be arrested and prosecuted,” he added.
He also said the police had strengthened investigations into complaints against officers and were imposing appropriate disciplinary measures on those found culpable.
Jonah called for more partnerships between the police and civil society organisations to promote accountability and improve public confidence.
ECAPI-CRU takes anti-crime campaign to grassroots
The National Coordinator of ECAPI-CRU, Ambassador Samuel Eniola, said the initiative was designed to educate Nigerians about crime prevention, police brutality and the right to free bail.
He warned that police officers who violated the IGP’s directives would be held accountable.
“According to the mandate given to us by the IGP, we have to take this campaign to the grassroots level. We have written to all the local governments and we will embark on taking the campaign to them, the markets, motor parks, schools and others,” Eniola said.
He added that the campaign would also target police personnel, noting that some officers were still unfamiliar with the role of the Complaint Response Unit.
“Some police officers do not know what CRU stands for, so we are still sensitising officers at all levels,” he said.
Lagos Police back community partnership
Speaking on behalf of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Okon Placid said collaboration between the police and community organisations could improve intelligence sharing and reduce tensions.
“There won’t have been a better time than now for the police to collaborate. This cooperation strengthens intelligence sharing and eases tension in the community. We appreciate ECAPI-CRU and are behind this,” Placid said.
The Officer-in-Charge of the Lagos Police Command’s CRU, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mogaji Idriss, also said the unit had recorded successes in responding to complaints and informing the public about disciplinary action against erring officers.
Idriss disclosed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police had convened an emergency meeting over incidents in Ikorodu and warned officers against using unregistered vehicles, particularly minibuses.
He added that action had been taken over a recent incident in Ikorodu and that the officers involved would face disciplinary measures.
The campaign is expected to continue across local government areas, markets, motor parks and schools as ECAPI-CRU seeks to raise awareness about crime prevention, police accountability and the right to free bail.
