The Kaduna state government on Monday received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Acts of Police Brutality in Kaduna State set up on the heels of the End SARS crisis.
The panel which is headed by Justice David Wyoming submitted its report to the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe at the Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
Speaking at the event, Balarabe stated that the state government will study the report and its recommendations and issue a White Paper in response.
According to her, there is prevailing anomaly in the Nigerian policing system, which has led to abuse of rights and unaccountability and that only a decentralised police system will operate with the highest regard for the rights and dignity of citizens.
She said, “It is my pleasure to receive the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into acts of brutality by Police personnel in Kaduna State. When we inaugurated this Commission on 19th October 2020, it was done in response to serious concerns about police accountability expressed across the country. You will recall that the Federal Government and the state governments endorsed the demand for reforms to policing. Therefore, the 36 state governors agreed under the auspices of the National Economic Council to establish judicial commissions of inquiry into acts of police brutality in every state. The Kaduna State Government complied with this agreement and appointed this Commission to help in establishing accountability for unlawful conduct by police personnel and to create a platform for victims and their families to receive redress for their pain and loss. Apart from the work of the Commission of Inquiry, the country needs to resolve the constitutional arrangement for policing, especially its funding, its governance, its training and professionalism and the welfare of its personnel.
Going further she dsilcosed that “Every state government is aware of the prevailing anomaly in policing: the deployment in all the states of police officers controlled by the Federal Government but whose operations are funded by state governments. As recommended by the APC Committee of The Federalism chaired by our Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, it is time to devolve policing powers and institute the necessary safeguards for lawful conduct and the protection of human rights. The crisis of policing remains a national emergency. It is in the interest of everyone that our country builds an efficient police force, large enough to be effective, sufficiently decentralised to understand the terrain and build local support, properly trained, equipped and resourced for the job and operating with the highest regard for the law and rights and dignity of citizens. The government will study the report and its recommendations and issue a White Paper.”
This is coming few weeks after the Lagos State government received the report of its own EndSARS judicial commission of inquiry report and issued a white paper in turn that has been generating controversy.