Senate changes name of Nigeria Police, passes bill to make IGP tenure single 4-year term

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that will make the tenure of office of the Inspector-General of Police by a single four-year term.

The Senate has changed the name of “Nigeria Police” to Nigeria Police Force” as presently in use in view of the failed constitution alteration attempt to amend the name.

Senate pointed out that the action became imperative to enable for a secured tenure of a serving Inspector- General of Police, just as it passed that the community policing be strengthened.

The Bill which was read the third time and passed, was a sequel to the consideration of the report on Police ACT CAP P19 LFN 2004 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2020 (SB.181) presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Dauda Haliru Jika, APC, Bauchi Central.

The Upper Chamber has also approved that on the appointment and removal of the Inspector-General of Police, the provisions of the constitution in line with Section 2l5 of the l999 constitution (as amended) should be retained, as any proposal contrary to this provision will require constitution alteration for it to be viable.

The Senate resolved that the Police abide and enforce certain constitutional provisions, particularly fundamental rights at persons in Police custody under chapter 4 of the l999 constitution (as amended) and other international instruments on Human rights to which Nigeria is a signatory (including of provisions that reiterate the necessity of fundamental human rights and advocating for their observance).

The Senate also passed that it should be made binding on the inspector-General of Police to stick to policing plans. The national policing plan should be made with inputs from the Police Force Headquarters and all the various Police establishments nationwide before the end of each financial year, setting out priorities, objectives, cost implications and expected outcomes of Policing for the next succeeding fiscal year in order to change budgeting from a top-down approach to a bottom-up approach.