Counsel Decries Violation Of Accused Persons’ Rights

A Port Harcourt-
based lawyer and human rights advocate, Barr. Chijoke Agi, has described as outrageous the continual violation of the rights of the accused persons in police cells.
Barr. Agi, who stated this while speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt on Monday, noted that the police were violating the rights of the accused persons in defiance of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
He said that the 1999 constitution (supra) had provided for the accused persons to be charged to court within 48 hours in a place where there is no court.
Barr. Agi expressed regrets that despite the fact that presumption of innocence was in favour of the accused persons they were still humiliated by Investigating Police Officers (IPOs).
According to him, “untutored policemen input guilt to the accused persons and treats them as such. This is not right. The police are supposed to respect the rule of law.”
He said the police sometimes torture accused person with the intent of eliciting information from but noted that torture was unlawful.
Barr. Agi requested the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to orientate officers and men of the Nigeria Police in order for them to function effectively in a democratic dispensation.
He said the police as currently constituted was a product of decades of military rule.
The Port Harcourt lawyers noted that law enforcement agents ought to know the basic criminal laws and the procedure for prosecution of offences.
He said their lack of knowledge had robbed off on the Nigerian Society as accused persons were kept in police cells for more three months in defiance of the constitution.
Barr. Agi pointed out the rule of law was better than rule of self-help and urged Nigerians to help in deepening our democratic culture.

Chidi Enyie