The National Conference decides that;
a. There shall be a Federal Police with areas of jurisdiction covering
the entire country and on clearly spelt out matters and offences;
b. For any state that requires it, there shall be a State Police at the State
level, to be established, funded and controlled by the State;
c. State Law may also provide for Community Policing;
d. Deployment of Police Officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of
Police (DSP) and below should be done to their States of origin. This
will address concerns about the need for such officers to understand the
language and culture of the people of the State, especially as this group
of Officers actually constitutes the operational component of the Force;
e. Re-invigoration of the Police Council with a full time Secretariat so as to
discharge its constitutional mandate as spelt out in the 3rd Schedule, Para
27, of the 1999 Constitution;
f. Section 214 of the 1999 constitution which provides for the
establishment of ‘The Nigeria Police Force’ (NPF) should be amended
to rename it ‘The Nigeria Police’ because the Police ought not to be a
force;
g. Appointment of The Inspector General of the Police (IGP): Nomination
and appointment of the IGP should remain with the President and the
National Council of State subject to confirmation by the Senate;
h. Funding of the NPF: The funding of the Police should be seriously
enhanced and given priority attention. All logistic needs of the NPF
should be met by Government; and the enactment of the Police Trust
Fund Act should be expedited to compliment Government funding;
i. Minimum manpower (General Duties) requirement for the Force should
be worked out to achieve optimum police service delivery on the
basis of Nigeria’s current population. Other factors such as crime rate
and industrial development should also be considered in Police
deployment;
j. Police Council should remain the body responsible for Force policy,
finances, organization and standards. It should play a far greater role in
shaping the aims and objectives of the service. It should be responsible
for the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police on the advice of
the Police Service Commission;
k. Police Service Commission should continue to be responsible for
appointment, promotion and discipline of all officers below the I.G.P.,
except the operational control of the Force which is vested in the IGP. It
should be independent enough to guard against nepotism in recruitment,
discipline and promotion and the dominance of the service by any single
or few ethnic groups. In other words, it should implement the
requirement of the Constitution to reflect Federal Character in
recruitment. Memberships of the Commission should be apolitical and
should comprise men and women of proven integrity;
l. The Inspector-General of Police should be made accountable to the
Police Council for the effectiveness and efficiency of the Force;
m. Rehabilitate, expand and equip the existing police institutions to enable
them meet the training needs of the Police;
n. Training the trainers to acceptable standards while appropriate
incentives should be introduced for trainers to attract some of the best in
the Service;
o. Screen the existing manpower, weed out the bad and the untrainable
ones and commence the retraining of the retained ones;
p. Ensure proper screening and vetting of the background of all prospective
recruits using police apparatuses, the Security and Intelligence service
and traditional institutions i.e. ward, village and district heads,
emirate council and similar outfits in other parts of the country;
q. Provide a modern communication network and restore the integrated
radio satellite communication introduced in 1992;
r. An Inspectorate Department headed by a retired officer not below the
rank of DIG should be established under the Ministry of Police Affairs
to undertake inspections with a view to maintaining standards of
performance of Police formations and functions throughout the country;
records of arms and ammunition and other police station records, as well
as maintain general sanitation of Police station and barracks;
s. Public order law which had been grossly abused should be reverted to
the police for implementation;
t. A Police Reform Implementation Committee should be put in place to
facilitate the implementation of the recommended reforms; and
u. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) should be the accounting officer
of the Nigerian Police and be answerable to the Nigerian Police Council
on financial matters.
A Constitution is the Supreme Law of A Country/Entity. It establishes the bases for which such is governed.
