A Civil Society Organisation, Citizens Action for Good Governance (CAGG), has faulted claims of alleged ill-treatment of 24 suspects in police custody over forgery and impersonation during recruitment of 10, 000 police personnel.
CAGG’s National Coordinator, Nazir Galandanchi, in a statement, Sunday, said the claim purportedly made by one activist, Mahadi Shehu, was not in accordance with principle of fair hearing as embedded in the Constitution.
Galandanchi explained that the Police have the constitutional powers to investigate and punish anybody found culpable in any offence including its officers who are found corrupt and tarnishing image of the noble profession.
He accused Shehu of not carrying out a thorough investigation but allowed his emotions to overrun objectivity in the matter he claimed to be in the know.
“We have done a thorough investigation over the claims of one Mahadi Shehu who called himself an activist alleging that 24 young men under the age of 28 were ill-treated and dehumanized by the Nigerian Police Force in one of its facilities in Abuja.
“From our findings the 24 suspects were alleged to impersonate 24 persons from Kano State whose slots were taken and given to them by some police officers that connived with them to commit the crime.
“Following the evidence of the petition the Governor of Kano State wrote to the Inspector General of Police over the stolen slots for his state number 24, which the IGP immediately swung into action with his team to investigate the matter, proved that these 24 suspects and police officers involved in the illicit business were guilty of the crime.
“Our findings also showed that the investigation of the Police over the crime at Police College Maiduguri (PCM), was really committed by some identified police officers and the 24 suspects of impersonation and forgery.
“As claimed by Shehu who said nobody comes to visit the 24 suspects is not true because people come to visit them where they are including officials of the court who are aware of the circumstances that brought them to detention as their trial continues.
“The statement of Shehu also alleged that the suspects were threatened to be killed by a police officer is not true. These are Nigerians and they have right to life as bona fide citizens of this country. No policeman can just wake to kill a suspect.
“We await outcome of the court judgment on this case, which we believe the law will take its course no matter the personalities involved in this matter,” he said.