‘Why CLEEN Foundation Is Re-Training Police Officers on Criminal Justice Deliveries’

January 22, 2020 Stan

CLEEN Foundation is a non-governmental organization operating in Nigeria. It has spread all over the country, with operational bases in Lagos and Abuja.

Again, the foundation has come out to explain why it is embarking on the re-training of police officer, in the country with a population of over 200million people and an estimated police workforce of a miserable 370 police officers, nationwide.

Truth is that CLEEN is preaching its gospel of a more secured environment for people living or doing business in our beloved country across the states of the federation.

Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and material resources. But, the cankerworm call corruption is almost killing the country. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian president is trying his best, no doubt..

But, CLEEN says in the area of security, the present escalating crime incidences and multiple reports of non-compliance to laws and human rights violations, by the police, are some of the reasons, CLEEN Foundation, a non-governmental organization embarked on the recent 2-day retraining of police officers from south-west region of Nigeria.

Blessing Abiri, Lagos head for the Foundation, while speaking on behalf of Dr Benson Olugbuo, the executive director, made this disclosure during a 2-day step-down training workshop, organized by CLEEN and held simultaneously in Lagos and Abuja.

Abiri said that as gatekeepers, the police require continuous training and re-training on the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, which is designed to preserve and strengthen the present existing legal frameworks nationwide.

Her words: “Some of the 26 out of the 36 states in Nigeria that have adopted the Act include: Lagos, Ogun, Anambra, Kwara, Oyo, Jigawa, Plateau, Nassarawa, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Kano, Ekiti and Kogi”.

According to her, public perceptions survey conducted in 2017 and 2018 by the foundation revealed on the Act revealed a low level of awareness amongst the police and other government institutions saddled with the responsibilities of monitoring the administration of the Act.

Based on these findings, the foundation in its commitment to support the police embarked on the recent 2-day re-training workshop, in Lagos in Abuja.

It is observed that more than 20 senior police officers drawn from states in south-west region of Nigeria attended the training at the CLEEN Foundation secretariat in Ojodu, Lagos, while Abiri also confirmed that about 30 senior police officers from the northern region were also in attendant at the Abuja venue.

An Assistant Superintendent of police from Oyo state, who spoke off record with Nigerian Tribune, expressed gratitude to the foundation for the training and noted that he will pass the knowledge gain down the line.