Counsel Wants CP To Check Excesses Of Police

A Port Harcourt based lawyer,  Mr Endurance Akpelu has called on the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Mohammed Ahmad to stop police men from encroaching on the domain of civil law.
Mr Akpelu, who stated this while speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt on Monday expressed regret that policemen in the State were handling issues like tenancy debt recovery as well as land matters in police stations.
He said the Police Act only empowers the police to handle issues under criminal law. Mr Akpelu noted though police would always couch the above mentioned issues in criminal garb but the real issues all pertained to civil law.
He implored the new Commissioner of Police to discourage the handling of civil matters in police station.
He said the handling of civil matters by policemen had gained a level of notoriety such that the common man would believe that the police had become a sort of court.
Mr Akpelu remarked that the police were also violating the rights of citizens with impunity and noted that there was already orders by courts for enforcement of fundamental rights.
He said unless something was done urgently to checkmate the trend, the protection of citizens’ right would become a mirage.
He also noted that a suspect’s right to his lawyer is not negotiable since it is protected by the constitution but expressed regret that policemen were doing all sorts of things to derogate such rights.

Chidi Enyie