The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, stated during the House Plenary Session which held in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Monday, October 20, 2020, said the Nigeria Police is not above the laws of the land, adding that they must be accountable to the citizens.
He said, “We will establish a system of citizen-led accountability for the Nigerian Police Force because in a democracy we have set out to build, the police are not above the citizenry.
“They are servants of the people. The police are not above the law, they are its guardians. As we endeavour to hold our nation’s police to higher standards of professional conducts, we must also make sure we provide for the welfare of the men and women in uniform.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives appealed to #EndSARS protesters not to allow the protests to be hijacked by unscrupulous elements seeking to cause chaos in the country and also pointed out that the protesters have raised their voices for a righteous cause which has been heard called for discussions on the way forward.
He also promised some measures to address the problem of police brutality in the country which includes drafting new legislation that enables a system to hold erring police officers to account for their conduct in the performance of their duties.
According to Gbajabiamila, the draft legislation which will be enacted in collaboration with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will be ready for consideration within 30 days.
He also reiterated the commitment of the National Assembly to ensure that the abuses of the past never reoccur.
On the 2021 budget, the Speaker explained that he will not sign budget that does not include adequate provisions to compensate those who have suffered violence and brutality in the hands of the police in the last two decades.
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