NOPRIN, the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, has commended President Buhari for directing the new Inspector General of Police to reopen investigations into numerous unresolved political and other killings in the country.
In a statement signed on Sunday by OkechukwuNwanguma, its National Coordinator, the group said this indicates the President's determination to ensure that justice is attained in those lingering cases.
NOPRIN said that one of the key sources of the grave damage to the image of the Nigeria Police, and which continue to portray the country in a very unfortunate light, is the failure by the police to fulfil one of their fundamental obligations to effectively investigate cases of politically-motivated and other controversial killings in the Nigeria to bring perpetrators to account and ensure redress and justice for the victims.
It added that the intrigues that have attended the investigation and prosecution of suspects in the Bola Ige case have exposed the police and the judiciary to unspeakable ridicule.
“The contradictions and obfuscation in the different reports by the police and DSS in the case of the killing of Olaitan Oyerinde, Private Secretary to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole also did so much to create confusion and hinder the effort at unravelling the actual perpetrators of that dastardly killing and ensuring that they are brought to account,” it said.
The group pointed out that considering the political motive and the complex nature of some of those killings, and the fact that the Nigeria police remains under political control which denies the IGP operational independence and hinders police professionalism and effectiveness, it would be appropriate to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to independently and exhaustively inquire into these killings and make appropriate recommendations that would ensure justice for the victims, the perpetrators and the society.
NOPRIN is a network of 46 civil society organizations spread across Nigeria, and committed to promoting police accountability and respect for human rights.
