Falana threatens to sue police over harassment of ‘poor citizens’ in Abuja

Femi Falana (SAN), lawyer and human right activist, has called on the Nigerian Police Force to cease harassing the poor and destitute in the country.

Falana made the call in a letter dated April 4, and directed to Ibrahim Idris, the inspector general of police.

He said despite the annulment of the anti-people vagrancy law that sought the humiliation of the poor, they are still being paraded by the police for wandering or loitering.

The lawyer said while hiding under the pretext of ridding the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of “criminals and other undesirable elements”, the police recently arrested scores of young people around Asokoro and other highbrow areas in Abuja.

He added that the suspects were illegally prosecuted, convicted and jailed by magistrates based on the allegation that they have no means of livelihood.

“As you are no doubt aware, the vagrancy law was introduced to Nigeria by the former British colonial regime for the sole purpose of harassing and humiliating poor people who were said to have had no means of livelihood,” the letter read.

“The anti people’s law was retained for the same purpose by the indigenous ruling class who took over power from the alien administrators in 1960.

“Thus, in a display of class bias whenever rich people were found on the street taking a walk it was said that they were exercising their fundamental right to freedom of movement.

“But whenever the poor exercise such fundamental right to freedom of movement they were usually arrested by the police who accused them of wandering or loitering.

“It is sad to note that notwithstanding the abolition of the offence of wandering throughout the country, the Nigeria police force has engaged in the indiscriminate arrest and prosecution of many poor people for loitering.

“Our law firm has decided to challenge such brazen violation of the fundamental right to personal liberty and fair hearing of those who have been illegally tried and convicted under the repealed vagrancy law in the Federal Capital Territory.

“If you fail to accede to our request within one week of the receipt of this letter, we shall pray the federal high court to compel the Nigeria Police Force to comply with the Minor Offences (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act forthwith.”

Falana said the human rights movement in Nigeria mounted a vigorous campaign in the 1980s for the repeal of the vagrancy law.