Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, has urged Nigerians to report their complaints about personnel to the Police Public Complaints Committee (PPCC).
Dingyadi explained that the body was created as a specialized institution to handle infractions committed by police officers.
The minister spoke on Thursday in Lagos at the PPCC South-West sensitization campaign, public presentation of activities.
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Dingyadi noted that the initiative was in furtherance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s quest to achieve “people-centric security arrangements”.
He assured that the government will prioritize citizens’ rights and address genuine cases of violations to promote inclusiveness, advance peace and security.
The minister admitted that the existing practice of lodging complaints against police personnel at stations or commands has not produced the desired solutions.
‘The idea is to put in place a permanent structure as a proactive mechanism that will help to effectively nip civil unrests in the bud.’
‘The PPCC provides the populace the opportunity to channel their grievances on police personnel misconduct to the appropriate quarters for necessary action.’
‘If the PPCC had been active, it would have provided a channel for Nigerians to ventilate their grievances over police brutality.’
‘The tragedy which befell the nation late last year would have been averted. This administration is determined to ensure that such ugly incidents would never occur again.’
‘The participation and discussion by stakeholders dovetail the lessons learned from last year’s #EndSARS protest and the need to sensitize Nigerians on actions taken.’
Dingyadi disclosed that the choice of Lagos as the first point of call for the nationwide PPCC sensitization campaign was deliberate.
Representative of the Inspector General of Police, AIG Johnson Kokomo commended the federal government for creating PPCC.
Kokomo called for a probe of assault/murder of police officers on official duties and appropriate compensation to their families.
The PPCC receives, processes all petitions and runs a decentralized structure that ensures Nigerians have easy access to it.
There will be a sub-committee – Special Investigation Unit (SIU) – that will comprise professionals charged with the responsibility of investigating every case thoroughly.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK