NANS backs IGP on reforms, clampdown on erring officers

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has thrown its weight behind the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Alkali Baba Usman, on the ongoing reforms in the Nigerian Police Force, especially the recent clampdown on errant officers.

NANS President, Comrade Sunday Asefon, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the student body was particularly excited about the effort of the IGP to sanitise the Nigerian Police Force in view of the fact that students across the nation have been the major victims of the bad eggs within the Force.

He lamented the police brutality, alleging that “they harass, intimidate and extort students at gunpoint under the guise of checking their phones”.

Asefon said: “The recent clampdown on rogue officers within the Nigerian Police Force has caught our attention at the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

“We have seen the various disciplinary measures handed out to erring Police Officers in recent months. This is undoubtedly the boldest effort to sanitize the Police force in our recent history and we commend the exceptional commitment of the Inspector General of Police to discipline and professionalism within the force.

“You will agree that students across the nation are the major victims of the bad eggs within the Police Force. They harass, intimidate and extort students at gunpoint under the guise of checking their phones.

“So the banishment of indiscriminate searching of phones, extortion of citizens at gunpoint, and the use of POS for extortion by the bad egg in the Nigerian Police Force is not only commendable, but it provides the platform for more collaboration between the people and the Police force in the fight against insecurity in the country.

“The IGP’s pro-activeness in fighting the scourge of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, and corruption within the force is a clear testament to his undying passion to return the force to an era of unprecedented professionalism, probity, and accountability as many rogue police officers have been held accountable for their actions in recent months.

“We, therefore, offer our solidarity and support to the exceptional job the IGP Alkali Baba Usman is doing in reforming the Nigerian Police Force from within and placing it on the pedestal of quality service delivery to the people,” he said.

The NANS President noted that a less corrupt Police Force would be better positioned to fight insecurity in the country and earn the trust of Nigerians in the areas of intelligence and information sharing.

“As we commend the IGP Alkali Baba Usman for his great work, we encourage him not to relax in his effort to sanitize the system as Nigerian students stand solidly behind him and his reform agendas.

“We call on all security agencies to do their best in providing security to Nigerians and refuse the temptation to use their privileged position to harass, intimidate and extort the citizens they are paid to protect.

“As long as the Nigerian Police continue in this internal reforms to reposition the force, Nigerian students across the country will continue to cooperate and collaborate with the force and its leadership to enhance their capacity to fight insecurity,” he said.

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