THE Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has requested that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, provide contact details of lawyers in police units across Nigeria.
The civil society organisation said that the request was in tandem with its mission to advance human rights, accountability, and transparency in Nigeria.
HEDA in the request stressed that section 66(3a&b) of the Police Act 2020 requires that every police division have at least one person qualified to practice as a lawyer,
According to HEDA, these law officers are responsible for promoting adherence to human rights at the police station.
The organisation noted that it sought the contact numbers of these legal practitioners stationed at police divisions nationwide through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, adding that the information was crucial for educating the public and providing them with the necessary tools to report human rights abuses by police officers.
HEDA’s chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, emphasised the importance of this request and stated that the presence of legal practitioners in police stations was a critical step towards ensuring human rights compliance within the NPF.
“By making this information accessible, we empower citizens to hold law enforcement accountable and uphold the rule of law,” Suraju stated.
The group said it looked forward to a prompt response from the NPF and remained committed to fostering a culture of transparency and respect for human rights in Nigeria.
HEDA is a non-governmental and non-partisan human rights and development organisation.
The centre conducts research, policy advocacy, training, citizens’ awareness and mobilization on core human development issues, including agriculture, food security, climate change, human rights, public sector accountability and electoral reform processes.
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