The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has vowed to end corruption in the police force.
In view of this, he has directed the IGP Monitoring Unit (X-Squad), and the Force Provost Marshall, to start enforcing anti-corruption directives across all police formations in the country.
Speaking briefly before his maiden closed-door meeting with senior officers in Abuja on Wednesday, Arase said the measure became necessary to restore the image of the police.
“Any officer caught either through whistle-blowing framework or direct operations of the enforcement units of the force will be appropriately dealt with in line with established disciplinary procedure,” he said.
According to him, any officer caught will be prosecuted.
He lamented that the public had lost confidence in the police because of corruption. This, he noted, had in turn hindered the force from tackling crime in the most ethical and professional manner.
“This administration intends to address the menace of corruption in the police by developing frameworks and interventions that will address root causes of corruption.
“In this regard, official factors like logistics and welfare challenges that create grounds for corrupt tendencies by police officers will be vigorously addressed.
“The second approach is to pursue a very robust anti-corruption enforcement strategy that will leave no serving officers and citizens under any illusion about its integrity, and firm commitment to national ethical rebirth and development.
“Very soon, the nation will witness a massive and sustained deployment of the anti-corruption action units of the force for enforcement functions.
“The new anti-corruption crusade of the force will take full cognizance of the appropriate sections of our criminal laws and hold both the giver and taker of bribes accountable,” he said.
Among issues to be tackled are the commercialization of bail, re-emergence of road blocks, abuse of police power, particularly in relation to pre-trial detention.
“The Commissioners of Police, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in whose jurisdiction illegal road blocks are detected will be personally or vicariously held liable,” he said.
Hello IGP,go ask the transporters,especially the maruwa operator in Lagos,you will,for sure,get a huge information on you men degree of corrupt practice.
I want IGP to come to law School junction in Lagos where there is traffic lights and you will see how your boys (police officers) were collecting bribes from motorists including foreigners. In fact it is highly embarrassing to see the way these guys are embarrassing Nigeria police.
Mr IGP sir,
One of the best things you will do for Nigerians is to cancel every police check point especially by those lousy high way patrol, they are nothing but bunch of corrupt uniform men that tanish the image of the entire police for.
The welfare and salary of police should be revisited cos school fees is increased nothing is cheap in d mkt. Ag. IGP also shd luk into other firms like d universities bribe is every in Nija pay ur men well bribery will stop.
Mr, Solomon Arase, if you really want to stop corruption in police hirachy, you have to criminalize the receiver, and decriminalize the giver. If both of them are criminalized, you have a stalmate where no one would say anything about the bribe.
Ordinarily, no one wants to give their hard earned money away unearned. You would create a phone reporting depo, so, when a police stops anyone they have to call in the name of the person, and why the person was stoped. You will now announce to the public that if they give bribe to a police officer, they should also call in and report it. With this method, you can pin point where or what areas of town bribe is very rampant. With that information in hand, you can send your monitoring group to that direction.
Another method is to supply each police personel with a specially built cellphone, equipped with GPS, to monitor where the police patrol are operating. Someone at the police central office would be able to download data from each phone given to the police man. This would indicate where report of bribe is coming and such area would be put under survalance.
IG sir, there’s always road block at Ada George Road Port Harcourt by men and officers of Rumukpakani Police Station early night every day and collect money from taxis, buses and Keke. Please do well to address this issue. Thanks.