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In a bid to forestall a repeat of the #ENDSARS protest which led to the loss of lives and property in October 2020, Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi has inaugurated the Police Public Complaints Committee, PPCC.
The objective of the committee is to provide a permanent structure that will help effectively nip in the bud, civil unrest with their undesirable and disruptive tendencies, by providing the populace with opportunities to channel their grievances on the misconduct of police personnel to the appropriate quarters for necessary action.
While inaugurating the committee, the minister said if it had been active, it would have provided an adequate channel through which affected Nigerians would have ventilated their grievances on police brutality and the tragedy which befell the nation late last year might have been averted.
“This administration is therefore determined that such an ugly incident will never occurs again.”
According to him, “once the PPCC becomes operational, it will embark on wide publicity and sensitisation campaigns to enable Nigerians become aware of its existence and functions.
He said the committee is also expected to create a platform and special dedicated phone numbers through which the public can channel their complaints”
“I would also like to see the PPCC decentralize its structure to ensure that Nigerians have easy access to it. For instance, the PPCC may even consider opening channels of communication at all Local Government Headquarters for this purpose.”
“The PPCC is designed to have a Subcommittee to be known as Special Investigation Unit SIU. This will be made up of professionals who will be charged with the responsibility of indepth analysis and thorough investigation of every case broughtbefore it and proffer recommendations accordingly”
“I charge the PPCC to work assiduously and in a transparent manner as to give confidence to Nigerians that their complaints will be attended to by a fair, just and equitable”
“The Committee is not out to witchhunt the men and officers of the Nigerian Police Force, rather it is to work in synergy with the Police to ensure it carries out its mandate effectively”
“I therefore charge the members of the PPCC to rise above board in the discharge of their duty. The Government is committed to support the PPCC in every possible way to help it achieve its mandate”
“The committee is made up of Ministry of Police Affairs Chair; Police Service Commission; Ministry of Justice, National Human Rights Commission, National Intelligence Agency and Non Governmental Organizatien CLEEN Foundation”
Others are Nigeria Police Force, Police Community RelatIons Committee, department of State Security services and Police Inspectorate Department Secretariat.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
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