IGP Streamlines Indiscriminate Police Investigation Processes

In a bid to strengthen the criminal justice system and standardise investigation processes in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the inspector-general of police, IGP Usman Baba, has ordered a streamlining of all Police investigative processes, to prevent duplication of investigation via indiscriminate petitions.

The IGP also warned against indiscrimate transfer of cases initiated by individuals and groups, who have been indicted in initial investigations as a way to frustrate diligent investigation process and truncate criminal justice delivery.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the IGP gave the directives while reviewing and dealing with files/cases in response to complaints on indiscriminate transfers of cases from Zonal/State Commands and other investigative units of the Force by operatives of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, Force Intelligence Bureau and other Force headquarters-based investigation outfits under the guise of re-investigation at the prompting of indicted parties.

He stated that the situation has often given rise to parallel investigations by multiple units leading to conflicting arrests of parties and different outcomes even when such matters have been conclusively investigated and charged to court.

The inspector-general of police, therefore, warned that transfer or taking over of cases from Commands/formations to FHQ-based outfits must only be carried out upon approval of a written petition to the IGP, which will serve as authority for any such action.

The IGP equally appealed to members of the public to be on the same page with the Police leadership in its bid to sanitise the process and strengthen its criminal justice system.

He similarly warned that officers found culpable of colluding with lawyers of, or indicted parties, to abuse Police investigative process will be sanctioned accordingly.