March 2021
The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme trained police officers trained police officers in Kano state on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL).
The Fagge and Badawa communities in Kano state have been plagued by security concerns. As a result, the relationship between the police and the community has been impacted. The police have been accused of unlawful arrests and detention of suspects, police brutality, and the extortion of confessional statements from suspects at the police stations.
Following the RoLAC training, there was a remarkable attitudinal change noticed in the police, particularly in its readiness to partner with communities to fight crime and improve communication with citizens.
The improved relationship has led to the police being more civil during arrests, interrogation and detention. Through the relationship between the Police Community Relations Committee and the police commands, it has become easier for community members to secure bail for themselves, friends, and relatives.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Fagge Police Division, CSP Abubakar Hamma, leveraged on the training provided by RoLAC to hold a series of sensitisation meetings with communities. The modest impact of the reform initiatives by the DPO drew the attention of authorities in Kano and some international partners, such as the Nigeria Policing Programme (NPP) - supported by the Security and Justice Reform Programme and funded through the UK government’s Conflict Security and Stabilisation Fund.
The NPP noticed the positive impact of the division in this regard and paid a visit to the DPO to commend him on the community-friendly initiatives being implemented and encouraged that they be adopted as a national programme.
