SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE, IGP (DR) SOLOMON ARASE, FDC, NPM, PHD DURING THE UNVEILING OF THE POLICE LEGAL BUILDING ON 20TH JUNE 2016
Protocol
It is with great pleasure that I make this short remark on the unveiling of this building as Kafaru Tinubu House. CP Kafaru O. Tinubu (rtd) was the first Police Lawyer in the Nigeria Police. By way of immortalising him, and in appreciation of his contributions to the Nigeria Police, particularly the Legal Section, the Force decided to name this building after him. The building being unveiled today was commissioned by Prof Yemi Osinbajo SAN (GCON), the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 18th March 2016.
- The need to evolve a Police Force that embodies the values of Fairness, Justice, Equity, Human Rights Compliant and Efficient while occupying the Policing space in Nigeria informed the decision to enhance the working environment of Police lawyers and strengthen the Police Legal Section as one of my reform agenda initiative for the Nigeria Police Force.
- The importance of the Nigeria Police Legal Section cannot be over emphasised, but sufficed to say that it is their responsibility to guide investigation in the gathering, preservation and presentation of evidence as well as ensure respect for the rights of persons arrested by the Police. This will eventually occasion the successful prosecution of cases.
- The inability of Police lawyers, to effectively assume this strategic role, in the Policing space, has immensely contributed to the high rate of failure of investigation and prosecution of cases. This negates my vision for a policing system that professes effective prosecution of criminal cases.
- The defence of civil cases against the Police is also another important responsibility of Police Lawyers. The inability of Police lawyers to effectively defend civil cases against the Police has resulted in the award of damages and eventual garnisheeing of Police accounts. If this situation is not urgently addressed, the Police may not be able to perform its functions as the limited budgetary allocations will be depleted and drown in the ocean of garnishee.
- To address these unsavoury institutional challenges, I have taken some deliberate and effective steps aimed at building and reinvigorating the mental capacity of Police Lawyers, to reposition them in the discharge of their duties. Apart from this building, I have equally emplaced regular training and workshops for lawyers in the Police to deepen their knowledge of law, especially in the light of the recent passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
- With this Legal building that boost of the best facility including state of the art Library and the many training programmes for the Nigeria Police Lawyers, it is hoped that these institutional challenges will be a thing of the past. I therefore urge you the Police Lawyers to make use of the opportunities provided and be the best lawyers that you can be.
- Thank you.