No be small matter wey dey happen for Naija o! Stakeholders don gather for Enugu, dey raise alarm say e get serious gap between wetin dem write for Police Act 2020 and wetin dey happen for street. Na town hall meeting wey dey organized by Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) and dem dey drop plenty serious gist. Legal experts, civil society leaders, and media people dey shout say the police reforms wey dem dey talk about no be anything but ‘paper victories’ because low awareness and corruption don spoil am well well.
Na so di Executive Director of PWAN, Kemi Okenyodo talk say the new Act get plenty good reforms like community policing and dem no suppose arrest person because of another person. But na hear-say for mouth, because the people no dey sabi wetin dem fit do. Okenyodo wey send her program officer, Hamidat Oyedele come gist say, “Laws go fit work when people sabi their rights.”
As per the gist wey dey flow, the Enugu Nigerian Bar Association chairman, Vernacius Odo, no get chill for di police matter. E don yarn say the Act dey strong but na just for paper, because e no even sure say 10% of police officers don even read the law dem suppose dey enforce. E talk say some police stations dey behave like mini-courts wey dey collect money from people wey get wahala, na so dem dey commercialize the whole policing matter.
Okechukwu Nwanguma wey be executive director for Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) still dey bring another angle come. E talk say wey dem no fit sort di humane aspect of police life, reform no go fit happen. “Police officers dey suffer from systemic neglect too,” Nwanguma talk. But no be say hardship go give dem excuse to dey misbehave anyhow. E come remind everybody about di 2020 #EndSARS protest wey show say police wey don build trust with their community, dem get better defense when problem don land.
While di advocacy project dey waka go Borno, Lagos, Kano, and Abuja, the take-home message from Enugu dey clear: if we no tighten di enforcement and show real concern for officer welfare, this Police Act wey dem write go just remain empty paper. Time don reach to make sure say wetin we talk for law fit reflect for reality, before police go completely lose community trust. Na this matter go keep passing strong!
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