Nigeria police and the abuse of “random research”, by Okechukwu Nwangma – Thage

When the spokesman for the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, recently declared that the agents of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) do not need a mandate to conduct random research, many Nigerians were understandably alarmed.

Such a radical declaration, if left unchallenged, risks deepening an arbitrary police culture and further eroding public trust in a force already burdened by crisis of credibility.

The truth is more nuanced. While the Nigeria Police Act, 2020 and other statutes allow police officers to conduct research in certain circumstances, these powers are not unlimited.

They must be exercised strictly within the borders of the Constitution, the Police Act and the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

To say that the police can, without a mandate or suspicion, conduct random searches of citizens is both misleading and legally unsustainable.

What the law actually says:

The Constitution of 1999 (as modified) guarantees the right to privacy (section 37) and the dignity of the human person (section 34). The arbitrary arrest and research operations, if not supported by reasonable suspicions or legitimate authorities, directly violate these protections.

The Police Act, 2020, in particular sections 1 (2), 4 and 38, allows the police to prevent and detect crime. Yes, agents can conduct stop-and-ricerca operations. But the law is clear: these actions must be based on reasonable suspicions, not whim, comfort or extortion.

The administration of the Criminal Justice Act (2015) also strengthens that the research of houses and private properties require a mandate issued by a magistrate or a judge, except in very limited emergency situations in which the delay would defeat the purpose of the research.

Anywhere in these laws is the concept of random research and without suspicion approved.

The dangers of “random research”

In practice, what the police call “random research” often degenerate into harassment, extortion and abuse. The Nigerians are familiar with the sight of the officers who stop vehicles, ask for drivers’ phones, who are unleashed through personal effects or insist on “settlements” before allowing people to continue their travels.

This is not a police; It is predation. Herod The dignity of citizens generates resentment and undermines the trust that requires effective police. Worse still, normalizes impunity: to increase officers to act as if the law began and ended with their discretion.

Judicial sentences and police impunity

Both the Nigerian courts and the Ecowas Court of Justice have repeatedly warned against these arbitrary practices. The Court of the Ecowas, in particular, said that indiscriminate stop-emph operations violate fundamental rights if not based on reasonable suspicions. However, the Nigerian police continue to ignore these sentences, deepening the culture of disobedience under the orders of the court and international obligations.

Because this is important

The words of a police spokesman bring weight. When an officer like SP Bright Edafe tells the public that the police do not need a mandate for random research, it effectively authorizes illegality. Encourage officers on the streets to ignore the constitution and disinform citizens on their rights. This is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy.

The way to follow

If Nigeria’s police forces are serious about the reform and reconstruction of the public trust pursuant to the police law, they must:

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2. To train police staff on human rights and constitutional limits to their powers.

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4. Educating citizens on their rights during police meetings, rather than encouraging blind submission to illegality.

Conclusion

The police are a creation of the law; They cannot position themselves above it. Random and suspicious searches have not placed in a democracy governed by a constitution. What Nigeria needs are not general authorizations for abuse, but a police service regulated and with respect to the rights that includes its powers and their limits.

Something less is an invitation to anarchy and a betrayal of the citizens themselves that the police have sworn to protect.

– Okechukwu nwanguuma

Executive director, law support center and responsibility

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