Rights compliance: Falana asks court to direct IGP to assign lawyers to all stations

 

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, has asked the court to direct Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police, to assign at least one police officer who is a legal practitioner to every station in Nigeria.

 

Falana said the assigned legal practitioners will monitor human rights compliance in the police stations.

 

In a suit filed before the federal high court sitting in Lagos, Falana also asked the court to determine whether the IGP is required to obey section 66(3) of the Nigerian Police (Establishment) Act, 2020.

 

Section 66(3) of the act states: “There shall be assigned to every police division at least one police officer: (a) who is qualified to practise as legal practitioner in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act; (b) whose responsibility is to promote human rights compliance by officers of the division.”

 

The defendants in the suit are the IGP and the Police Service Commission (PSC).

 

“Question for determination: whether the defendants are not under a legal obligation to assign a police officer who is a legal practitioner to every police station in Nigeria to monitor human rights compliance?” the document reads.

 

“A declaration that by virtue of Section 66(3) of the Nigerian Police (Establishment) Act, 2020, the Defendants are required to assign at least one police officer who is a legal practitioner to every police station to monitor human rights compliance.

 

 “An order directing the Defendants to assign at least a police officer who is a legal practitioner to every station in Nigeria to monitor human rights compliance forthwith.”