Under the provisions of Police Force Order No. 20 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017 (ACJL), a civil society organization, the Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), has reiterated its call for the immediate operationalization of the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme (PDSS) across all police formations in Abia State.
In October 2023, the group formally transmitted a detailed letter, annexing Police Force Order No. 20, to the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, and the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.
The letter articulated grave concerns regarding ongoing violations of suspects’ constitutional rights, including arbitrary arrests, prolonged pre-trial detention, and the absence of legal representation during the critical stage of police interrogation.
In a statement on Thursday, the executive director of CEHRAWS, Chuka Okoye, regretted that to date, the organization has yet to receive an official response from either office, nor has it seen government intervention thereto.
This, he noted, along with the prevailing concerns surrounding custodial practices and prosecutorial abuses, necessitated the resubmission of the letter to the Executive Governor of Abia State through the Honourable Attorney General, with the hope that it would receive the administrative attention it so clearly warrants.
According to Okoye, the letter demands that the Governor of Abia State issue an Executive Directive mandating the Ministry of Justice to coordinate with the Nigeria Police Force for the full implementation of the PDSS across the state.
“It also demands that the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, facilitates periodic training and sensitization for police officers and duty solicitors in line with the operational framework outlined in Police Force Order No. 20.
“Also, part of our demands is that independent oversight mechanisms, inclusive of civil society organizations, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Legal Aid Council, be integrated to monitor compliance and ensure accountability, and that adequate budgetary allocations be made for legal aid interventions and logistics to guarantee the sustainability of PDSS, particularly in underserved and rural police divisions,” he said.
Insisting that the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme is not a discretionary initiative, the CEHRAWS boss noted that it is a mandatory safeguard entrenched in Nigeria’s legal architecture to guarantee fair hearing, prevent human rights abuses, and foster public confidence in the criminal justice system.
According to him, the continued inaction of relevant state actors, in the face of a statutory obligation, is both unconstitutional and inimical to the tenets of justice and good governance.
