Police Act 2020 full of prescriptions, lacks accountability framework- NBA
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata has called for better ways to hold erring police personnel accountable for their actions in the country.
Akpata, who made the call during his appearance on a Police Reform Townhall organized by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), in collaboration with Channels television, yesterday, said while the efforts to pass and sign the Police Act 2020 into law were commendable, the Act lacked some vital components.
“In this new Act, there does not appear to be a clearly laid out accountability framework and that for me, is a major concern.
“The Act is full of prescriptions, it is loaded with prescriptions as to what standard operational procedures should be regarding policing.
“There are no consequences for bad behaviours and rules that govern how a policeman would be held accountable for their actions”.
He stressed the need for grassroot policing saying it was important for the police to gain the trust of the citizens who they protect.
Akpata advised the police authorities to lead the enlightenment campaign aimed at educating the people as to what their rights were, as contained in the Act
He stated that this was important in gaining the peoples’ trust, as the implementation strategies for the police Act 2020 would determine its success.