- Some human rights stakeholders in Bauchi State, on Thursday, said that synergy and trust between the Nigerian Police Force and the citizens would promote peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.
This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a stakeholders’ engagement on trust building between the citizens and security agencies.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the programme was facilitated by Foundation for Societal Empowerment and Rejuvenation (FOSER), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Some of the stakeholders at the meeting included: the police, officials from the Department of State Services (DSS), persons with disabilities (PWDs), Federal Road Safety Commission and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Others were: religious and traditional leaders, civil society groups, selected youth, women groups, the media and officials of civil rights commission, among others.
The stakeholders decried what they called lack of trust between the police and the citizens in the country, adding that it had constituted a great threat to a peaceful society and factor contributing to the violation of human rights.
“There is a lack of trust between the police and the citizens; the society’s perception of the police is negative, often viewed as corrupt, brutal, insensitive, illiterate, dirty and untrained.
“The police, on the other hand, find it difficult to trust the citizens, especially with the EndSARS experience, and again, the community sometimes hides criminals.
“All these continue to pose a threat to human security and contribute to the violation of human rights,” they said.
The stakeholders stated that the objective of the meeting was drawn from the consideration that promotion of human rights was a collaborative effort of both the security agents and the citizens.
They added that the meeting would also help to reduce police brutality by 20 per cent in the state through with an overall vision of Nigeria where everyone’s human rights were protected.
“Citizens themselves, in a way, consciously or unconsciously, contribute to the decadence obtainable in the police force due to lack of value attached to police work.
“This is reflected often by recommending or sending unqualified members of the society to join the police, of which often some of these recommended persons from the society are, most times, over-age and cannot be easily trained.
“The implication of having unqualified persons in the police force will continue to pose a threat to lives or brutality to the citizens, unless it is addressed,” they said.
In order to address the issue, the stakeholders advocated for the implementation of constitutional rights and responsibilities to promote the issue of human rights.
They also advocated for an increase in the human right awareness as well as the need for the civil society organisations and security agencies to enlighten security agents on the rules of engagement.
NAN reports that the communiqué was jointly signed by Mr Sani Inuwa, a representative of the law enforcement agents and Usma’u Yahaya, representing CSOs, human rights commission and PWDs. Other signatories to the communiqué were: Usama Muhammad, representing religious and traditional leaders and Abdulsalam Saleh from youth groups.
NAN reports that the stakeholders’ engagement was in collaboration with Initiative for the Liberalisation of Persons With Disability in Nigeria (ILPWDN), with support from Voice Nigeria from Global Affairs Canada.
- Saturday, September 21, 2024
News Flash