The Nigeria Police Force has warned members of the public against paying money to secure bail for themselves or their relatives, saying both the giver and receiver of such payments risk arrest and prosecution.
The Head of the Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Force Headquarters, Abuja, Awuf Jonah, stated this on Friday during a sensitisation rally in Lagos aimed at educating residents on reporting police misconduct and seeking redress.
Jonah stressed that police bail was free.
He added that no one was expected to pay any money whenever they or their relatives were arrested.
“The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has emphasised several times that nobody is expected to pay anything whenever you or your loved ones are arrested.”
“If you pay money for any bail, the giver and the taker will be arrested and then prosecuted,” he said.
The rally was organised by the NPF Complaint Response Unit in partnership with the Eagle Crime Awareness and Prevention Initiative to rebuild public confidence in the police and promote accountability.
The exercise, which began at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja on Friday, featured roadshows, market outreach, the distribution of information materials and demonstrations of the CRU’s complaint-reporting platforms.
Jonah described the partnership as a significant step towards restoring public trust in the police, noting that the initiative had helped improve accountability and encouraged residents to report misconduct by police officers.
He said complaints received by the unit were properly investigated, adding that officers found culpable were subjected to appropriate disciplinary measures.
“There are a lot of changes. If you can bear me witness, you will now observe that a lot of police officers, those few ones that are actually the bad eggs in our midst, have reduced to a large extent from some of those things they are doing.
“Whenever there are issues or complaints we receive, those complaints are properly investigated, and the officers are given the appropriate punishment for what they have done,” he said.
The police chief added that the initiative had encouraged more members of the public to visit the unit’s offices, call its communication channels and submit petitions against officers accused of misconduct.
He urged residents to sustain their cooperation with the police, saying the partnership was essential to building a better society.
Jonah said residents could report misconduct through the unit’s telephone lines, WhatsApp platform and written petitions.
He gave the CRU contact numbers as 08057000101 and 08057000102 for calls, while 08057000103 could be used to send complaints through WhatsApp.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held on Friday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Placid, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, said the initiative would strengthen cooperation, intelligence sharing and community relations.
“The leadership of the Police Complaint Response Unit and Eagles Crime Awareness and Prevention Initiatives should be commended for today’s advocacy event.
“There’s no better time than now for this collaboration. Through cooperation and unity, intelligence sharing and the diffusion of tension in communities will become top priorities,” he said.
The coordinator of ECAPI, Eniola Adam, said the rally was aimed at educating residents on police brutality, extortion and the need to understand that bail was free.
“We are here today to educate the public on police brutality, extortion and the fact that bail is free.
“We want Nigerians to know that the Inspector-General of Police says no to impunity, and any police officer found going against his mandate will have himself to blame,” he said.
He said the campaign would be extended to communities and marketplaces to ensure that residents at the grassroots were aware of their rights and how to report police misconduct.
“According to the mandate, we have to take this to the grassroots level, and that is why we are kicking off today to start a movement. This is not the last movement we are embarking on.
“We will visit communities one after another, including marketplaces,” he added.