Judge advises police to discard assault rifles

A commissioner in the Police Service Commission, Justice Sunday Akintan (retd), has advised members of the Nigeria Police Force to discard assault rifles, noting that a more effective way of crime control should be evolved.He said Nigeria was one of the few countries still making use of assault guns in its local crime control, which a first time visitor would mistake for a prevailing state of war. The retired Supreme Court judge therefore recommended the use of water cannons and communication equipment being used in other parts of the world.Akintan said this when the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, led by Senator Dahiru Kuta, visited the PSC office.Welcoming the senators, the PSC Chairman, Parry Osayande, DIG (retd.), gave a brief historical overview of the commission from 1960 to date and highlighted the functions of the commission, which included the appointment, promotion and discipline of all police officers, except the Inspector-General of Police. He stated further that the rationale behind the establishment of the PSC was to see to the proper administration of the NPF in relation to appointment, discipline and promotion. He noted that the long period of interference by the military in police affairs had prevented the force from performing its constitutional duty of securing lives and property.Osayande said the commission was making plans to adopt "a polygraphic test" mechanism in its recruitment process, so as to ascertain the state of mind of applicants and ensure that only the best were recruited. "To ensure equity in all processes, the commission established a Police Recruitment Board comprising representatives of the commission, the police, and the Federal Character Commission. This will ensure that all sections of the country are represented in all recruitments," Osayande said.Kuta said the reason for the visit was to find out how the PSC had been applying the principles of federal character in the appointment and promotion of police officers as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
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