We must weed out rotten eggs in our police, says Gbaja

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says officers who put the image of the police in a bad light must be weeded out. 

The speaker said this on Thursday at a public hearing organised by the house committee on police affairs.

Gbajabiamila said Nigerians deserve a police force they can trust — one that acts within the limits of the law.

He added that “we will do everything in our power to meet these expectations”.

“Reforming the Nigerian security architecture, with specific emphasis on our policing system and law enforcement, is one of the cardinal commitments of the ninth house of representatives,” he said.

“It is a commitment against which our tenure in office will be measured. When the time for assessment and judgment comes, we must not be found wanting. The Nigerian people deserve a police force that they can trust.

“They deserve a police force that acts within the limits of the law and respects the rule of law. We will do everything in our power to meet these expectations.

“Beyond statutory reform, there is a need for concerted efforts to address recruitment and training, funding and operational priorities.

“These issues are the responsibility of the police force administration and the executive. Nonetheless, the ninth house of representatives will be part of those conversations around effecting changes in this regard, and we will do our utmost to ensure that everything that ought to be done is done and done right.”

The speaker further said the bill will empower the police service commission to “institute an independent system for holding erring Police Officers to account for abuses of power and related misconduct in office.

“There are, let me quickly say, a zillion or gazillion good policemen, in fact, a good majority of our policemen are gentlemen and officers, upstanding professionals but we all know the popular saying that a rotten egg can spoil the whole basket.

“We must attempt to weed out the few rotten eggs that seem to give the police force, men and women who lay their lives and put their lives out there on a daily for you and I and that is why we are taking this bill seriously”.