The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu has assured key stakeholders in the justice sector that his command will uphold the rights of suspects and detainees in police custody.
Odumosu stated this while receiving a delegation of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria; Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch; Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (ROLAC) programme of the British Council, and Rights Enforcement and Public Law Centre (REPLACE) who paid him an advocacy visit.
Noting that criminal justice administration starts with policing, Odumosu assured the delegation of the cooperation of the command in promoting rule of law and access to justice, saying: “It is a symbiotic relationship; be assured of our commitment. Everything the stakeholders are doing is towards making society better.”
On access to detainees by NBA Police Duty Solicitor Scheme (PDSS) volunteers, Odumosu assured the delegation of his support for the program, noting that it “provides an enabling atmosphere for easy access to police facilities and suspects by designated members.”
He however emphasized the need for proper conduct to ensure that the PDSS volunteers work in line with the mandate of the programme.
To facilitate the work of the volunteers, the Lagos State police chief announced the appointment of the Officer-in-Charge of the Legal Unit, SP Yetunde Cardoso as the “Judicial Liaison Officer” for the command. He directed Cardoso to work with the delegation among other civil society groups “to promote prompt dispensation of justice in the state and to ensure that the Human Rights Desk of the command is active.”
Odumosu assured that he would inaugurate the Force Order 20 Advisory Committee once he receives a directive from the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Muhammed Adamu, adding that the directive is crucial in order to ensure uniformity in the composition of the committee.
In her remarks, the leader of the delegation and Zonal Director of the Legal Aid Council (South-West), Mrs. Latifat Salau noted that both Force Order 20 and the Legal Aid Council Act empower the council to visit police detention centres in collaboration with non-governmental organisations.
She emphasized that the PDSS programme enables lawyers to visit police detention centres “to look at the welfare of inmates, ensure that they do not spend a longer time than is constitutionally provided for, and generally secure their fundamental rights.”
Salau observed that while some police stations accord duty solicitors unfettered access to detainees, “others do not, thereby creating bottlenecks in achieving the goals of Force Order 20.” She urged Odumosu to redress the hardship by directing officers to facilitate access to detainees by duty solicitors.
While the Executive Director of REPLACE, Mrs. Felicitas Aigbogun-Brai assured the police top shots – which included two deputy police commissioners and the commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) among others – that the duty solicitors have been duly trained and accredited by her organization, Mrs. Ajibola Ijimakinwa, Lagos State Coordinator of ROLAC, stated that the PDSS programme is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the British Council through ROLAC/REPLACE. She assured the police high command that “You are in good hands.”
