The Inspector General of Police, Ag IGP Kayode Egbetokun in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is set to establish Complaint Response Unit (CRU) offices in Rivers, Enugu, and Kano states while the Lagos office of CRU is to be expanded with ultimately aim of making justice and accountability more accessible to the public.
Force PRO, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi made this known in a statement issued recently, noting that with the generous support and collaboration of the United Nations, the IGP is taking a significant step towards decentralising and expanding CRU’s presence across the country.
Stating that it is in line with the provisions of Section 131 of the Police Act 2020.
He said, “This expansion is a vital part of the IGP’s commitment to fostering a more transparent, accountable, and responsive policing system, and aligning with international best practices by significantly reducing the barriers faced by citizens when reporting issues, and will also expedite the resolution process.
“Consequently, the project would involve an outreach programme whose primary objective is to develop effective strategies and modalities that will facilitate the expansion of CRU services to under-served rural communities and individuals with limited access.
“To achieve this, interactive Town Hall meetings in each of the four states which will bring together 20 relevant stakeholders from these states, as identified by the respective commands have been scheduled.
“These sessions will provide a platform for open discussions and collaborations aimed at improving community-police relations and service quality.
“The town hall meetings will hold in Kano State on October 23rd; Lagos on October 25th; Rivers on October 31st; and in Enugu State on November 8th, 2023,” the Force PRO stated.
“The Complaints Response Unit has been instrumental in addressing public grievances and concerns related to police misconduct, human rights violations, and other issues in Nigeria.”
