DIG directs police officers to respect human rights

The Nigeria Police Force has directed its personnel to promote and respect the rights of citizens in the discharge of their professional duties.

Mr Emmanuel Inyang, Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Training and Development, gave the order on Monday in Calabar during a sensitisation workshop for police officers in Cross River.

Represented by Mr Jimoh Ozi-Obeh, the Cross River Commissioner of police, Inyang said that the training became necessary following complaints in some quarters that the police were violating the human rights of the civil populace.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the workshop was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union.

According to him, the workshop is organised to offer police personnel with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to effectively discharge their duties in accordance with the rule of law and in compliance with human rights best practices.

"The national roll out of this human rights training programme will ensure that the message of protection and promotion of human rights gets to every officer of the police regardless of rank.

"The Nigeria police is committed towards the protection and promotion of the human rights of the civil populace.

"I want to believe that after this training workshop, police officers will be better equipped with skills and knowledge in the discharge of their professional duties,’’ he said.

Mrs Ukamaka Osigwe, Project Officer of UNODC, said the partnership with the police was to support the Justice Sector in Nigeria.

Osigwe said that the training would increase access to justice and respect for human rights and the rule of law, especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable members of the society.

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 1, states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

"They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Human rights principles are built on the idea that all human beings have inherent human dignity.

Also, Dr Uju Agomoh, Coordinator, Nigeria Police Human Rights Training Project, said that no fewer than 500 police officers were trained in 2015 in human rights protection and promotion.

According to Agomoh, the project, which is for five years, from 2015 to 2020, will ensure the effective training of police personnel in the protection and promotion of human rights.

She said that the workshop was timely because Nigeria needed to reckon with other countries in the protection and promotion of human rights.