The Acting Inspector General of Police, (Ag.IGP) Usman Alkali Baba has stopped the IGP Monitoring Unit from “undertaking criminal investigations, including taking over cases from state commands.”
Baba,who spoke at the opening of Inspector General of Police Inaugural Conference with Strategic Commanders of the Nigeria Police Force which took place at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, also promised to “restore the citizens trust” in the Police Force has directed immediate reforms of the IGP Monitoring Unit.
This, according to him involved the “disbandment of the satellite offices of the Unit in Lagos and Port Harcourt, the streamlining of the personnel profile of the Unit at the Force Headquarters to not more than 50 operatives.
“Under the current dispensation, the Unit will only operate within their original mandate which is to investigate complaints of professional infractions that may be “alleged against any serving officer and as may be referred to them by my Office.
“Similar repositioning initiatives are being worked out in relation to other ad hoc investigative Units in the Force. This is with a view to restore professionalism, address citizens’ concerns on rights abuses resulting from the existence and operations of these ad hoc police investigation Units and to discourage duplication of police functions in a manner that encourages indiscipline and abuse of police process.”
