Edo State Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO) has accused the state commissioner of Police Butu Yaro, of threatening, intimidating and instilling fear in its members and has demanded that the police chief be called to order.
The organization, which addressed a press conference in Benin City titled, “The Insensitivity of Edo State Command of the Nigeria Police Towards Human Rights Activitists,” said the commissioner of police has been deliberately harassing its members who have matters before the police.
Interim Chairman of EDOCSO, Lefist Austine Enabuele, said the threat to the civic space and the human rights community by the actions and utterances of the commissioner of police was uncalled for.
Enabuele said human rights activists are simply carrying out their roles in society and do not deserve to be hounded by an officer of the law.
The civil society group addressed the press shortly after it carried out an induction of its members on how to draft and write petitions when their rights have been violated by law enforcement agencies, particularly, the Police.
He said EDOCSO is a formidable movement whose activities take place on daily basis to fight against inhumanity and oppression in the society.
“We will never now or at any time, accept the certain statements and gestures ascribed to the commissioner of police since his assumption of office in Edo and regards to a publication released by the Nigerian Bar Association that only petitions written by lawyers should be honoured.
“Most worrisome of it all is the way and manner he has consistently denigrated the civil society community in Edo State either by abusive statements, sending them out of his office or charging matters to court once the presence of civil society is observed, without the options of alternative dispute resolution in resolving even civil matters, even when he knows that some of such matters ought not to be taken to court,” he said.
The EDOCSO leader said the commissioner’s attitude, which he said was undemocratic, could cause lawlessness and great injustice to the weak and poor.
He said though civil society was duly recognized by the United Nations, International Conventions, Nigerian Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJA) as critical stakeholders in sectoral improvement, the commissioner had not thought it expedient to deal with them.
“Feedbacks of his engagements with civil society actors have shown that he has a wrong impression about a civil society activist whom he said must be a practicing lawyer with an office.
Enabuele said if Martin Luther King Jr., KenSaro-Wiwa, Desmond Tutu, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Dele Giwa had waited to be lawyers before championing human and minority rights, then humanity would still have been far underdeveloped.
“For a CP of a state to openly pronounce that those who call themselves Civil Society Actors are jobless and have no discernable source of livelihood is just too below the belt and insulting. This CP needs to be educated that a Civil Society Activists need not to be a lawyer to perform the above roles towards a better society and ensuring good governance, social justice and human rights.”
He said the CP’s office is for public service.
“The records must be set straight here that the office of the Commissioner of Police is for public service and remains so till this moment. Until the constitution says otherwise, there is no restriction to who is qualified to send a petition to it either orally or in writing.
“The publication of the NBA to the effect that, the commissioner of police has decided to entertain petitions from only lawyers must be refuted.
“A complaint can be made by anyone for themselves or on behalf of others in writing as stated in (section 89(3) ACJA) and the command has a responsibility to treat such petition appropriately.”
On the education of CSOs members on how to write petitions, Edigin, told the participants that writing a petition is the fundamental right of every individual especially, the CSOs.
He said they could stand surety for suspects but cautioned them against collecting money from people that come to them for assistance.
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