Extortion, rights abuse signs of unprofessionalism in police — DIG

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department, DIG Zachariah Fera-Achinyan, has described extortion, human rights abuses and other forms of misconduct by police personnel as clear signs of unprofessionalism and indiscipline.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement and consultative meeting with the Deputy Inspector-General of Police coordinating the North-East, held on Monday at the Gombe State Police Command Headquarters, Fera-Achinyan said officers who engage in extortion often live beyond their legitimate means.

“A disciplined policeman is always a disciplined policeman. A disciplined policeman is a professional policeman. A professional policeman is a complete policeman,” he said.

According to him, professionalism in policing requires sacrifice and contentment.

“If you see a policeman indulging in acts of extortion, that policeman is not a good manager of resources. You see a policeman wearing the rank of a corporal and living like a DSP. His salary cannot measure up to that lifestyle, and that tendency is the main driver of extortion,” he said.

He urged members of the public to recognise such conduct as a departure from the ethics of the profession.

“So, a policeman who extorts—something should ring a bell in your brain that he is not a professional policeman. A professional policeman will live within his means,” Achinyan added.

Recalling the culture of modesty that existed in the Force in earlier years, the DIG said officers were encouraged to acquire only what their earnings could sustain.

“In those days, when we joined the police, they would give an officer a loan to buy a car. They would give a corporal the same loan to buy a bicycle. If the corporal wants to drive a car, what will he do? He will go against his calling,” he said.

The DIG further condemned other forms of misconduct, including abuse of human rights, drinking while on duty and poor appearance.

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“A policeman who extorts money, abuses human rights, drinks while on duty or wears a tattered uniform is not a professional policeman. Run away from such police officers because the moment a police officer is shabbily dressed, he behaves shabbily.

“You cannot see a well-kept policeman behaving in a manner that is not expected of him. That is why we are out to deal with them”, he added.

On the issue of manpower shortage in the Nigeria Police Force, the DIG acknowledged the challenge, noting that Nigeria falls short of the United Nations’ recommended police-to-population ratio.

“The United Nations standard is one policeman to 400 people. Nigeria has barely over 300,000 police officers serving a population of more than 200 million people,” he said.

He explained that the shortfall informed the adoption of community policing strategies across the country.

“That is why we brought forward the issue of community policing so that we can work together with communities to police the environment,” he stated.

Fera-Achinyan, however, assured Nigerians that efforts were underway to improve the situation through ongoing recruitment.

“We are about to recruit 50,000 police officers to increase our manpower,” he said.

He disclosed that Gombe State would benefit from the exercise, with each of its 11 local government areas expected to receive 96 newly recruited officers.

“Each local government in Gombe State will get 96 newly recruited police officers. With this number, I believe they are going to cover a lot,” the DIG concluded.