By Emmanuel Iheaka

OWERRI – The new Nigeria Police Act 2020 which prohibits the sale of alcohol to policemen on duty has raised dust amongst participants in a town hall meeting.

Section 100 (2) of the act stipulates a fine of N50,000 against anyone who sells or gives alcohol to a policeman on duty.

At a media town hall meeting on Human Rights, the Police Act 2020, and Regulations held in Enugu, Friday; there were divergent views on the provision.

The meeting was organized by Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN).

The Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma made a presentation on the Police Act.

While the participants seemed at peace with other provisions, slamming a fine on a civilian who sells alcohol to a policeman on duty caused a spontaneous stir in the hall.

Some argued that the civilians should not be made to pay for any policeman’s act of irresponsibility.

They were of the view that if a policeman who had gone through training with taxpayers’ money refuses to abide by the training, and if the authorities fail to checkmate him; why should a civilian be made the Scape goat.

Some others submitted that the provision was proper in order to compel the citizens to be responsible.

Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma stated that the new act is a great improvement of what the country inherited from the military act a police act, but observed that it is still a subject to amendment.

In a welcome address, Nnem Okeke, on behalf of the Executive Director of PWAN, Kemi Okenyodo, said PWAN is a women-led non-governmental organization dedicated to enhancing citizens’ participation and improving security governance in Nigeria and West Africa broadly. 

“This, we achieved through Rule of Law, Citizens Security, and CSO strengthening Program Areas. The organization does this through research, collaborative advocacy, capacity building, dissemination of information and integrating implementation of government policies such as United Nations Resolution 1325, Women Peace and Security Second Generation National Action Plan ( NAP2), Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism National  Action Plan (P/CVE NAP), Administration of Criminal Justice Act/Law (ACJA/L), UN Resolution 2250 amongst others which are complementary to our strategic Objectives.

“Historically, Nigeria has faced systemic issues in its policing, characterized by allegations of corruption, misuse of power, and a significant disconnect between police operations and community expectations. These problems have been exacerbated by a lack of comprehensive understanding and inconsistent implementation of policing laws among the officers and management of the NPF.

 

“To address this, PWAN with support from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) is implementing the project “Enhancing Police Governance: Deepening Understanding of the Police Act 2020 and Regulations across the six geopolitical zones; specifically in Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Edo, Enugu, Borno, and the FCT.   

“The project seeks to address critical gaps in the understanding and application of the Police Act 2020 and the accompanying regulations within the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).PWAN aims to achieve this through capacity building for senior police officers, sensitization of the public on the provisions of the Act, and media town hall meetings on the provisions of the Act and media sensitizations. 

“This will improve the knowledge of the police officers and citizens of recent changes and reforms within the police force and further improve human rights application as contained in the Act”, she submitted.