Rights Group condemns sack of 7 police officers, seeks Abuja Compol's Rights probe

Disturbed by the widespread allegations of police extrajudicial executions in Abuja Police detention centres, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, HURIWA, a development focused non-Governmental Organization has on Thursday urged the Federal Government to immediately set up a judicial commission of inquiry to probe these cases of dastardly and reprehensible violations of the fundamental rights of citizens allegedly in conflict with the law. The Rights Group also demanded the removal of the Police commissioner in Abuja Mr. John Haruna for allegedly being behind the spate of gross human rights violations including the recent alleged invasion of the Court premises in Abuja and the kidnap of a principal witness Oni Adeyemi in the trial of the suspects allegedly involved in the killing of the former Chairman of Kwali Local Government in Abuja.

The Rights Group also criticised the police high command for the recent sack of seven junior police operatives for allegedly spearheading a recent move by the National Association of Junior Police officers [NAJPO] to stage a police strike to protest some issues relating to job satisfaction including the refusal of the police authorities to release the results of the promotion examination conducted some years back. Those sacked are David Awe, Arifo Samuel, Fasore Ayodele, Ajose Adejuwon, all of Akungba Division in Ondo State. Other police officers dismissed are Adesina Olugbenga and Emmanuel Olisa.

The Police High Command through the Deputy Inspector General of Police Ringim Uba who announced the dismissal of the police operatives stated that it is unlawful for police officers to belong to trade union. The Police Deputy Inspector General stated that section 39[3] of the 1999 constitution prohibits police officers from joining trade unions even as he stated that it amounts to discreditable conduct under the police regulations for police officers to issue threats and ultimatum to their superior officers.

But HURIWA in a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko faulted the claims of the police high command that police operatives are precluded from enrolling in trade unions and demanded the recall of the dismissed police officers because it is unconstitutional to sanction a citizen for seeking to enforce his or her fundamental human rights especially the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution section 40 and Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Rights Group stated that; ‘’The dismissal of the seven police operatives for allegedly belonging to a trade union is illegal and unconstitutional because it violates the principle of non-discrimination and the right to equality as explicitly set out in international and regional human rights treaties which are central to human rights. The rights to equality obliges States to ensure observance of human rights without discrimination on grounds, including sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social membership of a national minority, property, birth age, disability, sexual orientation and social or other status.’’

The Rights Group asserted that that there is nothing in the constitution that prohibits the police operatives from joining any trade unions of their choice just as it stated that in all democratic nations of the World including South Africa the members of the police belong to trade unions to protect their professional interests as bonafide citizens.

Calling for the setting up of a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the widespread allegations of police extrajudicial killings in Abuja and the recent arbitrary arrest by the police of citizens without recourse to due process of the law, HURIWA stressed that the current police Commissioner in Abuja has been particularly fingered in the alleged violations and therefore should be suspended from office while investigation into these grave allegations is concluded if this Government is truly committed to the adherence to the principle of the rule of law.