The House of Representatives has taken steps to strip the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the power to appoint and deploy state commissioners of police (CPs).
It has vested the power in the Police Service Commission (PSC), which is to ensure that such appointment and deployment is done in line with Federal Character principle.
The Green Chamber of the National Assembly thus put to rest the controversy about who has the power to recruit police constables and cadets as it vested the power in the Police Recruitment Committee, headed by the IGP.
The House made it mandatory for the IGP to submit a quarterly report of arrests to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) while CPs are to submit same to the Attorney General of their states.
This formed part of the new Police Act passed by the lawmakers to reform the police and make it responsive to human rights of Nigerians.
Section 21 of the new Police Act, as passed by the House, gives the IGP the responsibility of recruiting constables and cadets into the force and establishing the Police Recruitment Committee whose decision on recruitment into the force shall be final.
A close examination of the law indicates that several sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 were reproduced in the new Police Act, while the document has been increased from 101 sections to about 151.
Section 28 of the law prohibits the arrest of another person in place of a suspect who may not be available for arrest at the time of visit by the police, while a new Section 29 states that an arrested suspect must be accorded humane treatment, having regards to his right to the dignity of his person.
