2023: Why I will stop Police from investigating cases – Presidential candidate opens up
The Presidential candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, rtd, has advanced reasons why he would stop Nigerian Police from investigating cases, should he win the 2023 presidential election.
Al-Mustapha, who spoke at a Town Hall meeting the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, organized for all the 18 presidential candidates of political parties contending at the 2023 General Elections, said he would establish a central body that would be saddled with the responsibility of investigating cases.
According to Vanguard, he said his administration would further embark on holistic reforms that would ensure the separation of the office of the Attorney-General of Federation from that of the Minister of Justice.
Reeling out some of his plans, Al-Mustapha, who is a former intelligence officer that served as Chief Security Officer to late military head of state, General Sani Abacha, said: “An area that requires reform, is the issue of policing itself.
“From 1981 to date, our police have actually gotten it wrong.
“We shall separate the primary responsibility of the police from the secondary responsibility.
“The primary responsibility of police must go to the police, while investigation goes to another body, centrally.
“Police will then have a re-oreintation, because we believe that if we have the two powers merged in the police, we will continue to have human rights abuses.
“We shall also carry out reforms in Ministerial offices. The office of the Attorney-General shall be separated from that of the Minister of Justice for obvious reasons, so that there shall be checks and balances
“We shall encourage the Judiciary to come up with reforms to meet up the standard of the day, meaning the supporting of judicial criminal investigation trials to use electronic means so that there shall be speedy trial for inmates”.
Besides, the AA presidential candidate said his administration would also pay close attention to the rehabilitation of prisoners and convicts.
He descried that rather than rehabilitating inmates, prison facilities in the country have turned to places where persons that were illegally detained, are kept as awaiting trial inmates.
“Some have also stayed longer in detention because of activities in judicial reform.
“We in Action Alliance have already looked at the problems in Nigeria, with me as an example, who was heavily persecuted for 15 years, with torture in 5 years and 2 months that I survived.
“With my experiences, we have now brought together and presented our manifesto, believing that the prison will become a protecting point from psychological to physical, in terms of education and productivity, in our economy and social life”.
He said prisons under his administration would be separated, such that convicts and awaiting trial inmates are not kept under the same facility.
“Attention will be given to education, reforms, re-oreintation and rehabilitation.
“The military and paramilitary bodies shall be discouraged from going into the primary responsibility of the police deliberately, so that the less they play into police role, the lesser abuses we shall have”, Al-Mustapha added.
On his part, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, bemoaned the fact that women and children usually suffer the brunt of rights violations by both state and non-state actors.
Sowore blamed the state of human rights in the country on what he termed as “regimes of impunity that had no regard for the rule of law”.
He said his administration would ensure the enforceability of all the rights in the Constitution, including the right to decent living, education and jobs.
“It is the violation of these rights, over the years, that make our leaders to look down on us”, he added, insisting that the 1999 Constitution was imposed on the citizens.
“This has further made it more difficult for the rights in the Constitution to be respected”, Sowore noted.
Other presidential candidates that were at the Town Hall meeting, were; Adewole Adebayo (Social Democratic Party), Prof. Christopher Imomulen (Accord Party), Sani Yusuf ( Action Democratic Party), Prof. Peter Umeadi of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, while Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, sent a representative.
Each of the candidates was given 10 minutes to speak on their manifestoes in relation to human rights.
However, the program, which was part of activities that was used to mark the 2022 International Human Rights Day, ended without candidates of the leading political parties- the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressive Congress and Labour party- showing up.
It will be recalled that the LP candidate Peter Obi had through his campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe, said he would no more attend any town hall meeting where Bola Tinubu of the APC or PDP’s Atiku Abubakar does not physically attend.
An official of the NHRC, Mr. Hillary Ogbonna, while announcing the presence of 6 out of the 18 presidential candidates, disclosed that an invitation was sent out to all the candidates, including Tinubu, Obi and Atiku.
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JUST IN; Oyo Governor, Makinde names Olubadan as Chairman Oyo Council of Obas
JUST IN; Oyo Governor, Makinde names Olubadan as Chairman Oyo Council of Obas
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has inaugurated the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, declaring that the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, will be heading the council for a period of 2 years.
The declaration follows the passing of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendments) Bill, 2025, by the state House of Assembly, and the signing of the same into law by the governor.
Recall that the lawmakers had amended Clause 5 of Section 28 of the Chieftaincy Law to make the Council chairmanship rotational among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Soun of Ogbomoso, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
While inaugurating the Council, Governor Makinde said he had consulted with the trio of the Alaafin, the Olubadan and the Soun, with the three of them reaching a consensus that the chairmanship should start with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
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NPF committed to community policing, says IGP Egbetokun
NPF committed to community policing, says IGP Egbetokun
The Inspector General of Police (I-GP), Dr Kayode Egbetokun, has assured that the police remained committed to community policing to ensure that criminals were drastically reduced in the country.
The I-GP, who was represented by the Assistant Inspector of Police ( AIG) Zone 17, Dr Ajani Musibau, stated this at the Police Community Relations Committee ( PCRC) National Leadership Training and Conference on Thursday in Akure.
The theme of the conference is: “Inclusivity and Diversity: the New Leadership Paradigm.”
He said that security could not be achieved by only the police, but with the support from the community.
The I-GP stated that security was a joint work and responsibility of all, commending the current leadership of the Nigeria Police for a paradigm shift towards modern policing.
Also, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, Mr Adebowale Lawal, said that bandits could not infiltrate the state due to community policing strategy embraced by the command.
He explained that bandits would have infiltrated the state through Kogi and Edo, but intelligence reports from members of PCRC had been a great help to the police command.
According to him, the support and logistics received from the Inspector General of Police, Dr Kayode Egbetokun and Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa had also motivated police personnel to work earnestly.
He said that effective community policing was a sure way to curb activities of criminals, and implored members of the public not to relent in their efforts to provide police and other security agencies with useful information.
Lawal also commended other conventional security agencies, forest guards and vigilantes for their support to the police in fighting bandits
In his remarks, the National Chairman of PCRC, Alhaji Ibrahim Mogaji said that the conference was to strengthen leaders of PCRC in the South-West zone and encourage them to redouble their efforts and support in fighting crimes.
According to Mogaji, the occasion also enabled the association to appreciate Gov. Aiyedatiwa, I-GP, the AIG Zone 17 and the state Commissioner of Police.
He advised the participants to moblise other members of PCRC and orientate them on their roles to continue to fight crime in the country.
The PCRC national chairman asked Nigerians to respect the dignity of police and to be civil when interacting with them.
Mogaji said that the leadership training would be replicated in other geo-political zones of the country.
Also, Aiyedatiwa, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Security, Mr Gbenga Atiba, commended the PCRC , AIG Zone 17, and the Commissioner of Police for their unrelenting efforts to guarantee peace across the state.
Aiyedatiwa promised that the state government would give PCRC attention and continue to support police and other security agencies with appropriate logistics that would make policing more effective.
A guest lecturer, Comrade Yinka Folarin asked members of the public to give respect and dignity to members of the police, saying that they also had rights that must be respected.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PCRC honoured Gov. Aiyedatiwa, AIG Zone 17 and the Commissioner of Police with awards. (NAN)
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Increase salary, welfare packages for Police other security personnel – FG told
Increase salary, welfare packages for Police other security personnel – FG told
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for improved welfare packages for armed forces personnel and all members of the security and intelligence community to aid their effectiveness and efficiency.
National Chairman of PDP, Tanimu Turaki, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Thursday to mark the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day.
Turaki also urged the Federal Government to adequately fund security agencies to effectively neutralise those he described as agents of insecurity, and restore peace to the country.
He expressed PDP’s condolences to the families of members of the armed forces who died in active service while executing their mandate of protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
“On a day like this, we acknowledge that they paid the supreme price for the continuous existence of our country.
“We advise all actors, whether state or non-state, not to engage in actions capable of destabilising the country.
“In honour of those who have died to keep our country safe, we pray that their deaths may not be in vain and their labours not forgotten,” Turaki said.(NAN)
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