By Lucky Isibor
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Funsho Adegboye has inaugurated the Police Duty Solicitor’s Scheme (PDSS) Advisory Committee in Edo State.
The PDSS Advisory Committee is a body charged with facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Police Duty Solicitor Scheme.
The Police Duty Solicitor Scheme is the mechanism that provides for free legal access for detainees in police custody and it is back up by Police Force Order 20.
At the inauguration of the committee on Thursday, 29 February, 2024 at the Edo State Police Command Headquarters in Benin City, the Commissioner of Police assured the public of the unhindered access of lawyers to suspects and detainees in the custody of Edo State Police Command, adding that upholding their fundamental humans rights is also a directive principle of the command.
“I’ve been working under democratic tenets, that’s with the rule of law and fundamental human rights of citizens, suspects, detainees and when I came here I made it known to everybody that I hinge my approach on democratic policing with the fear of God. I have had the opportunity to serve in every continent of the world, and i have always observed that the principles of the rule of law and fundamental human rights are always maintained abroad. It therefore saddens when i see these principles neglected at home in the discharge of Police duties. I find it very absurd”
“That’s why am so eager that this programme succeeds and I wish all parts of this country will equally tow the line and am sure that will happen in my time”.
While admonishing officers and men of the command not to see the committee members and lawyers as antagonistic to their role as police officers, the Commissioner of Police noted that they are all partners in progress, working to ensure everyone gets justice.
“Some police officers will see this programme as antagonistic with our work, no, absolutely no. In fact the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetoku on assumption of office reiterated the need for police officers to key into the agenda of the fundamental rights of suspects. Even when they’re convicted they are still citizens.
“Suspects and detainees will have unhindered access to legal services and justice in Edo State. I want to implore our officers and once again reiterate the Inspector General of Police’s directive that whenever a suspect is under your custody, apart from giving him all his fundamental rights as contained in the 1999 Nigeria Constitution as amended, you’ll equally allow him unrestricted access to legal services and justice, and this will be provided by our friends, our colleagues, members of the Nigerian Bar Association and members of the Legal Aid Council who are willing to avail us of their services at anytime we need them”.
In his remarks, the Edo State Attorney – General and Commissioner of Justice, Osazee Uzzi (Esq) thanked the Edo State Commissioner of Police for setting up the Police Duty Solicitor’s Advisory Committee, noting that the functionality of the committee will ease the dispensation of justice in the state as issues of ‘trial within trial’ will be reduced during prosecution.
The Attorney – General who was represented by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Orobosa Okunbor also made a case for the exclusion from transfers for some police officers who have investigated criminal cases currently undergoing prosecution.
He urged the Commissioner of Police to assist in bringing back such transferred officers adding that the Office of the Attorney General of the state will soon avail him the list of such officers.
“I like to commend the Edo State Commissioner of Police for this initiative, because as prosecutors, this will help us in performing our job better, especially with the long battle of going through ‘trial within trial’. As you know many police officers complain that they have to be called to court up to ten, twenty times in one single case because of ‘trial within trial’. So if for instance a statement of a suspect is taken and a legal aid officer is there to observe the procedure and endorse on it that he or she was there when the statement was voluntarily recorded, the issue of the suspect alleging that he made the statement under duress will no longer arise and that will help us to do our job so that we can also secure conviction on time and in a case where there’s no conviction, the person will also be discharged on time instead of having to spend several years awaiting trial”.
In her remark, the Edo State Coordinator of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, Ms Uche Nwokedi thanked the Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Funsho Adegboye for inaugurating the PDSS Coordinating Committee, noting that the constitution of the committee was the outcome of the meeting between RoLAC and justice stakeholders includingthe Nigeria Police and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria on improving the implementation of PDSS.
“The PDSS Advisory Committee is a platform that allows detainees access to free legal services”.
“We look forward to having more police stations grant access to members of PDSS to give free legal services to detainees in police formations and when we begin to do that, its going to support some of the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL)”.
In a good will message, the Edo State Coordinator of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mrs Maureen Ogba assured of the Council’s readiness to collaborate with other stakeholders in the justice sector to meet the objectives of the programme.
According to her, “On our part, we as the lawyers of the Edo State Office of the Legal Aid Council, pledge our unalloyed commitment and dedication to the success of the programme, in collaboration with other partners and stakeholders. It is our sincere wish that the synergy of all stakeholders will lead to a successful attainment and sustenance of the objectives of the programme”.
In his remarks the Coordinator of the Legal Aid Coordinating Team, Pius Oiwoh (Esq) thanked RoLAC and the Commissioner of Police for blazing the trail in creating a conducive atmosphere for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of suspects and detainees noting that, “What we are seeing today will engender the smooth administration of the criminal justice system which starts from the scratch from the point of investigation through to prosecution of the case”.
In a good will message,Olumide Dosumu, the Edo State Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission noted that the PDSS is a section of the commission’s involvement in the justice sector reforms pointing out that the commission has been involved in the nation’s justice sector reforms over the years.
Also speaking, the Edo State Coordinator of PDSS, Nwanzor Ameachi (Esq) thanked RoLAC for supporting the activities of PDSS. He also thanked the Edo State Commissioner of Police, the officers of the command for the warm embrace of the PDSS when they visited 12 Divisions in the command.
In his good will message, the chairman of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Comrade Festus Alenkhe assured of adequate reportage of the activities of PDSS adding that, “As journalists we owe the society adequate reportage, whether negatively or positively; which ever way it goes, it’s news. We’ll continue to give adequate reportage of the activities of RoLAC, Edo State Police Command and the PDSS”.
In a remark, a legal practitioner and member of the Benin branch of the NBA, Bright Iluobe (Esq) emphasised the importance of the PDSS in police investigation, pointing out that canter signing of all confessional statements by a legal practitioner is compulsory and not optional, adding that the Supreme Court has made it so in a judgement and urged all Investigating Police Officers to ensure compliance so that their labour during investigation of criminal cases will not be in vain, as lawyers would always challenge confessional statements not endorsed by lawyers in court.
The Police Duty Solicitor’s Scheme is a brain child of the Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC) Programme funded by the European Union and being implemented by International IDEA and its resource partners.
RoLAC has also supported the establishment of statement taking room, fitted with modern recording equipment with sound proof at the Edo State Police Command to ease investigation of criminal cases and speedy trial in line with the ACJL.