CSO, others seek removal of police prosecutorial powers
A coalition of Edo state civil society organisations has called on the federal and Edo state governments to strip the police of the power to prosecute criminal suspects in order to end the violation of citizens’ right.
The coalition made the call in Benin on Wednesday during a one-day working meeting on accountable governance, justice and security project-accessing” organised in partnership with CLEEN Foundation.
The theme of the workshop is: “Challenges in the implementation of administration of criminal justice law of Edo state and way forward.”
Coordinator General of the coalition, Omubude Agho, said the law which gives the police the right to arrest, investigate and prosecute criminal suspects has led to the violation of the rights of citizens on a regular basis in the state.
Agho said that it ordinarily ought not to be so, adding that “the duty of the police should start with the arrest and investigation of suspects.
Upon the completion of investigation, they should hand them over to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for prosecution,” he said.
He said that the state laws need to be reviewed in order to strip the police of the power of prosecution. According to him, that is the only way to end citizens’ rights violation and punishing of innocent persons.
Also, the Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Edo state Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Justina Odihirin, said that the decision of the police to take up the role of prosecution has led to the unlawful detention of citizens in their custody.
“In the Edo state Ministry of Justice today, we have discovered that 70 per cent of suspects’ files brought to us by the police for advice are those who do not have anything to do with being in detention at all.
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“I believe that this is happening because the police take the role of arrest, investigation and prosecution,” Odihirin said.
She advised that the roles of the police should be limited to arrest and investigation of criminal suspects, while the prosecution of offenders should be left in the hands of the ministry’s department of public prosecution.
Representatives of the state Ministry of Justice, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), among other organisations attended the meeting.
