Human Rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, Esq, has urged Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) “to act decisively by relieving the current Inspector-General of Police of his duties” and appoint “a leader with a clear commitment to constitutional order and human rights.” Kayode Egbetokun is the current Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and has been in office since June 19, 2023.
In an open letter to the President on “a call for urgent intervention in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF),” Mr. Adeyanju said that under the watch of the current IGP, the Police “has become increasingly compromised by a pattern of conduct that has brought the institution into disrepute.”
According to the rights lawyer, the NPF has become personalised and weaponised, with growing reports of the Police being used to settle personal scores and intimidate private citizens.
He argued that the Police “urgently need reform, but reform cannot happen under leadership that undermines its very principles. In light of this, I respectfully urge you to act decisively by relieving the current Inspector-General of Police of his duties and appointing a leader with a clear commitment to constitutional order and human rights.”
Mr. Adeyanju explained that (today the civic space has shrunk under a climate of fear as peaceful expression, association, and lawful dissent are now treated with suspicion or outright hostility by an institution that should protect these freedoms.
“More disturbingly, the men and women who serve in the police force continue to operate under conditions that are nothing short of inhumane. Officers lack adequate welfare, modern equipment, proper housing, and fair remuneration, resulting in the recent police protest.
“The morale of the average police man is low, and yet they are still expected to perform optimally. A force that is deprived of dignity cannot enforce the law with dignity,” he summed.
