enugu – The Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative has called for collective efforts to promote awareness and understanding of the Police Act 2020 to foster a culture of accountability and respect for human rights.
Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative Also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), PWAN is a women-led non-governmental organization working to increase citizen participation and improve security governance in Nigeria and West Africa broadly. is dedicated to.
He stressed the importance of community policing, police accountability and citizen participation.
The Executive Director of PWAN, Ms Kemi Okenyodo, represented by Nkem Okereke, said this during a sensitization on Human Rights, Police Act and Regulations at the Media Town Hall in Enugu on Thursday.
He said, “Nigeria faces systemic issues in its policing, including allegations of corruption, abuse of power and a significant gap between police operations and community expectations.
“These problems are compounded by a comprehensive lack of understanding among the officers and management of the NPF and inconsistent implementation of policing laws.
“To address this, PWAN is implementing the project “Enhancing Police Governance: Deeper Understanding of the Police Act 2020 and Regulations in six geo-political zones” in collaboration with the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO); Especially in Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Borno and FCT.
“The project seeks to address critical gaps in the understanding and application of the Police Act 2020 and related regulations within the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).
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“PWAN aims to achieve this through capacity building for senior police officers, sensitizing the public on the provisions of the Act and media town hall meetings on the provisions of the Act and media sensitization. This will improve the awareness of police officers and citizens about recent changes and reforms within the police force and further improve the human rights application contained in the Act,” he said.
In his presentation, Okechukwu Nwanguma described the Police Act 2020 as a significant reform over its predecessor, bringing much-needed reforms to Nigeria's policing system.
According to her, the new Act is more gender sensitive and includes important safeguards to enhance police accountability and community engagement.
“Implementation of the Act is important now. To achieve this, a proposed multi-stakeholder Police Reforms Implementation Committee with a 3-year action plan has been recommended.
“Education of police officers on better provisions, public advocacy for civic knowledge and review of old rules are also required,” he said.
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