Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has analysed the duties of the Police Force.
Osinbajo defined the force as a representative of the people and the government and hence there was a need to give it an ethos that would be admired by all.
He stated this on Monday, December 12 when he received, on behalf of the president, the annual report of the Police Service Commission, PSC, from the acting chairman, Rtd Justice Clara Ogunbiyi who led a delegation of the commission’s management team to the Presidential Villa.
The PSC presented the report following Section 17 of the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act 2001 and made available to newsmen.
Laolu Akande, spokesman of the vice president quoted Osinbajo as saying:
“The police force is in many ways, the first line of civil authority and in any country, it is a representative of the people.
“For many reasons, people regard the performance of the police as the performance of the government, therefore the force must be diligent in how it carries out its function.”
VP commended the commission for their clarity of vision, hard work, and ability to handle the difficult task of managing a huge police force with several challenges.
He said:
“The ethos of the police force is something we have to take seriously.”
However, also speaking on some parts of the report, Osinbajo suggested the issue of the internal investigation of the police when things go wrong.
He said:
“I think that it is very crucial because we mustn’t give the impression to the Nigerian public that the police will get away with anything and that whatever happens, there is no accountability.
“It just adds to the confidence that people have in our police force and our government that we are responsible and accountable when we are wrong and we make payments where it is necessary.”
