NHRC condemns killing of Lagos lawyer, says armed officers must be mentally balanced
The National Human Rights Commission has on Tuesday condemned the killing of Bolanle Raheem, a female lawyer by a policeman in Ajah area of Lagos State, described the culprit “has fallen short of standard operating procedure and professional ethics of the Nigeria Police Force.”
The commission while regretting the incident, called on the police hierarchy “to as a matter of necessity, always ensure that officers who bear arms must, by all means, be mentally balanced and respect the rules of engagement of the police force saying enough is enough of these avoidable deaths.”
This is contained in a statement by the executive secretary of NHRC, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), through his Deputy Director (Corporate Affairs and External Linkages), Fatimah Mohammed.
Ojukwu recalled that the commission had gone around the country to train police officers on human rights best practices and how to mainstream human rights in law enforcement operations.
“Yet, we are still recording sad incidents of extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the police officers,” Ojukwu lamented.
However, Ojukwu reiterated that NHRC “will continue to monitor the process of investigation and prosecution of the errant officer to ensure that justice is adequately served.”
Ojukwu commiserated with the family of Raheem, as well as the Nigerian Bar Association, while commending the police high command for immediately taking necessary action to arrest and put the errant officer in custody.
According to him, it was unfortunate to know that the commission had recorded several incidents of extrajudicial killings by the police, vowing that the commission will do within its power to ensure that the cases are not swept under the carpet.
