The Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi has reiterated the need to sensitize Nigerians especially South-East Zone on the activities of the Police Public Complaints Committee (PPCC) to promote the elimination of subjective apathy and dissuade resort to self-help over acts of an infraction by a few deviant personnel of the Nigeria Police.
He made this known during the sensitization campaign on the Police Public Complaints Committee (PPCC) activities for the South-East Zone held at the Hotel Sylvia Limited, Enugu, Enugu State.
In his address read by the Director, Police Inspectorate Department, Mrs. Mary Eleojo Akpan stated that the desire of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to fully implement Community Policing through collaboration with community stakeholders, adherence to respect for rule of law and human rights necessitated the resuscitation of PPCC in 2019.
The Minister noted that the event was organized to enlighten the good people of Anambra, Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, and Enugu States on measures taken by the government to enhance police-public relations in Nigeria.
In his words, “I consider it a great honour to play host to the good people of Enugu state and South East in general, the Ministry of Police Affairs’ sensitization campaign is the climax of the nationwide sensitization campaign, which has gone around Lagos, Sokoto, Kogi, Calabar and Bauchi for the South West, North West, North Central, South-South, and North East Geopolitical Zones respectively”.
Dingyadin expressed the importance of advancing a systematic shift from a state-centered security approach to a people-centric security paradigm, through improved welfare, police reforms, and modernization of strategic policing infrastructure to meet current security challenges underscoring the need for collective support for our policing system in Nigeria.
According to him, “the urgency to return the primacy of the Nigeria Police, necessitated government’s commitment to promoting issues relating to welfare, strict adherence to professionalism, and modernization of critical policing infrastructure, to sustain the ongoing fight against violent crimes in Nigeria. The PPCC which has since become operational is thus serving as additional layers, for citizens to seek redress. Inauguration of the resuscitated PPCC on 7th April 2021, is the sequel to Mr. President’s directive to breach gaps between the populace and the police, to elicit confidence and mutual cooperation”.
In his goodwill message, His Royal Highness, Igwe (Amb.) Lawrence Agubuzu commended the federal government and police for maintaining the peace and security in the zone and urged his citizen to take advantage of the committee rather than take the law into their hands whenever they have an infraction by the police personnel.
In his words, we will give all the necessary support and we must know that no human organization is perfect, the police are not exceptional in this respect. We do not want people to be taken the law into their hands thus, we need to promote equity, fairness, and justice and the committee must ensure that nobody is badly treated”.
The Inspector General of Police, IGP Alkali Baba Usman represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Abaniwonda Olufemi stated that IGP is striving to bring orderliness and peace to the nation and urged citizens to partner with police by reporting any nefarious activities to the authority.
The PPCC comprises the Ministry of Police Affairs (Chair); Police Service Commission; National Human Rights Commission; Non-Governmental Organization (CLEEN Foundation); Nigeria Police Force; Police Community Relations Committee; Public Complaints Commission; and Police Inspectorate Department (Secretariat)
Bolaji O. Kazeem
