The CSOs in its position made available to SaharaReporters on Monday, stated categorically that there was nothing "intrinsically wrong" with the present service years of the NPF.
A coalition of 29 civil Society organisations has made it clear that any legislative process, no less, the amendment of the Police Act, should be an open and transparent.
The coalition said it should be an inclusive process that ensures that politics and personal interests are not prioritised over public good and public security.
The organisations stated this in their position on the ongoing consideration by the National Assembly to amend the Nigeria Police Force Act, 2020.
The coalition said, "The Bill has passed for second reading. We also understand that there was a public hearing in late June 2024 on the Bill. From the long title, the amendment Bill seeks to achieve the following objectives:
"Review the service years of police personnel in order to improve the experience and expertise of the police workforce; Retain experienced personnel and reduce the cost of training and recruiting new officers;
"Improve morale, performance, and job satisfaction in the workforce of the Nigerian Police Force; and address the shortage of experienced police personnel."
The CSOs in its position made available to SaharaReporters on Monday, stated categorically that there was nothing "intrinsically wrong" with the present service years of the NPF.
"The present recruitment age limit of 18-25 years and the retirement age of 35 years of service or 60 years of age are within the universal standard. The work of police personnel is too stressful to endure longer years of service than necessary. There are other arrangements by which experienced police officers could still be engaged after retirement," the coalition said.
Going by the issues canvasses in the Bill, the CSOs advised the National Assembly not to pass it as it is presently proposed, adding that the Bill, as it is, does not solve any perceived problem associated with the present years of service of police personnel in Nigeria.
"On the contrary, the increase may compound the challenges associated with the work of policing in the country," the coalition said.
The organisations in a joint position paper, stated that "if the attempt to review the age is to give life to the section on secured tenure of office, what should be done is to review the Public Service Rules to include the Inspector General of Police, like it has been done with the judiciary and school teachers.
"The Police Act 2020 needs urgent and critical amendment for improvement but not along the line proposed in the amendment Bill under reference."
The 29 CSOs who signed the position include the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Lagos; COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace building, Akwa Ibom State; Open Society on Justice Reform Project (OSJRP), Lagos; Anthony Opara, Journalist, member, NUJ, Lagos State; Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication -(CCEPE), Kwara State and Foundation: Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuiding - Kaduna State.
Others include the Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development FENRAD Nigeria, Abia State; Center for Peace Education and Community Development (cepeacecode), Jalingo, Taraba State; African Youths Initiative on Crime prevention, AYICRIP, Lagos; Conscience for human rights and conflicts Resolution CHRCR, Kogi State; Initiative for Social Development in Africa (iSODAF), Minna, Niger State; Peace Point Development Foundation (PPDF), Akwa Ibom State and Imam Mahdi Foundation, Abuja office & Adamawa State.
Others are IIHRP - Islamic Initiative For Human Rights Protection; Rural and Urban Development Initiative -RUDI, Lagos State; Partnership for Social and Environmental Development Initiative - P4SEDI, Cross River State; Virgin Heart Foundation, Owerri, Imo State; Centre for Justice, Empowerment & Development (C4J), Port Harcourt, Nigeria; Rivers Indigenous NGOs & Civil Society Network (RINGOCS), Rivers State; Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF), Rivers State; Justice for Peace and Development Initiative; Legal Resources Consortium; Criminal Justice Network of Nigeria; Nde Oduko Foundation, FCT; Center for Global Tolerance and Human Rights, Lagos; Elixir Trust Foundation, Benue/Lagos State; Institutional and Sustainable Development Foundation, ( ISDF) FCT Institute for Public Safety and Prevention of Sociopathic Behaviour, Lagos; Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women, Kaduna; Bauchi Human Rights Network, Bauchi Nigeria and Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development IRIAD, FCT.