President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the establishment of the
\nJudicial Panels of Inquiry by 13 States of the federation to investigate
\ncases of police brutality and bring justice for victims across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The president, who made his feelings known in a statement by his Special
\nAdviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Wednesday
\nsaid the establishment of the panel was in line with the resolution of
\nthe National Economic Council (NEC).<\/p>\n
The NEC, under the chairmanship of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, at its
\nmeeting on Oct. 15, 2020 resolved to establish State-level Judicial
\nPanels of Inquiry, to investigate allegations of police brutality and
\nensure that all erring personnel is brought to justice.<\/p>\n
The States that have set up the panels so far are Lagos, Kaduna, Delta,
\nEkiti, Ogun, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Plateau, Edo, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Akwa
\nIbom.<\/p>\n
Buhari lauded the promptness of these necessary subnational actions and
\nreaffirmed his commitment to supporting the State Governments to ensure
\nthat justice is achieved for all victims of police brutality in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The statement noted that prior to that, the president had in June 2019
\nsigned a bill establishing the Police Trust Fund, to mobilize additional
\nfunding for the welfare and equipping of the Nigeria Police Force.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccrual of funding into the Fund, as specified in its enabling Act, has
\ncommenced.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
It also recalled that the president had in 2018 approved an increase in
\npolice salaries.<\/p>\n
The police personnel budget has seen a rise from 288 billion Naira in
\nthe 2018 Budget to 417 billion Naira in the proposed 2021 budget; an
\nincrease of 45 percent.<\/p>\n
While inaugurating the Nigerian Police Pension Fund Limited building on
\nOct.20, the president also reiterated continuous support for both
\nserving and retired police personnel.<\/p>\n
The president has equally approved the rollout and funding of a new
\nCommunity Policing Initiative, as part of a larger programme of police
\nreform in Nigeria, aimed at rewriting the rules of engagement between
\nthe Force and citizens.<\/p>\n
According to the presidential aide, Buhari\u2019s commitment to extensive
\npolice reforms should never be in doubt, saying the president in Sept.
\n2020 signed the new Nigeria Police Act, the first comprehensive revision
\nof the Police Act in decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs President Buhari declared, the immediate dissolution of the Special
\nAnti-Robbery Squad (SARS), is the first step in a set of reform policies
\nthat will deliver a Police system accountable to the Nigerian people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe President has also approved the full implementation of the report
\nof the 2018-2019 Presidential Panel on Police Reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Police
\nService Commission (PSC) have now commenced the implementation of the
\nReport,\u2019\u2019 Adesina further stated.<\/p>\n
He, therefore, appealed for understanding and calm across the nation, as
\nthe implementation of the reforms gathered pace at federal and state
\nlevels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Presidency wishes to reiterate the full commitment of the Buhari
\nAdministration to the implementation of lasting Police reforms in
\nNigeria,\u2019\u2019 he said.(NAN)<\/p>\n
President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the establishment of the Judicial Panels of Inquiry by 13 States of the federation to investigate cases of police brutality and bring justice for victims…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n