The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has issued a directive ordering the immediate halt to unnecessary arrests and the detention of youths across Nigeria, as well as the arbitrary checking and collection of phones by police officers.
The directive, issued amid growing public outrage over persistent human rights violations and arbitrary actions by police personnel, was contained in a police wireless message dated December 13, 2024, addressed to all state commands. The letter, signed by the Department of Operations for the Force Headquarters, emphasized the need for immediate compliance.
Egbetokun warned that any officer caught engaging in these prohibited acts would face disciplinary action alongside the Commissioner of Police (CP) of the offending command and their supervisors.
The wireless message read in part: “Henceforth, there should be no unnecessary arrest and detention of youths, collecting of phones, checking of phones at checkpoints. These should stop. This attitude is portraying the Nigeria Police Force in a bad image.”
The IGP also reminded officers of the repercussions of past misconduct, noting that arbitrary arrests and other unlawful practices contributed to the #EndSARS protests in 2020, which resulted in widespread destruction of properties and loss of lives.
To ensure full enforcement of the directive, the IGP announced the deployment of monitoring units tasked with overseeing police compliance nationwide.
Egbetokun stressed that the Nigeria Police Force must regain public trust and called on all officers to operate within the bounds of the law, adding that failure to comply would attract severe consequences.
