Juliana Francis
As the curtain falls on 2022, ushering in 2023 onto the stage, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has taken a closer look at the activities and achievements of some personnel in the Nigeria Police Force and has adjudged a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Markus Ishaku as RULAAC’s Police Officer Of The Year.
The Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, while extolling the virtues of Ishaku, said: “There is a need to strengthen police internal control systems and external oversight and accountability mechanisms put in place to ensure law enforcement discipline and conformity with professional standards. We commend the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force’s Complaints Response Unit (CRU) under the leadership of DCP Ishaku Markus Basiran for demonstrable commitment to the enforcement of discipline and checking impunity for police human rights violations and misconduct.
“This year (2022), the CRU, in partnership with RULAAC and with support from McArthur Foundation for the first time since its inception in 2015, published its quarterly reports for 2021 and part of 2022 showing the numbers of complaints received, police officers, disciplined for various misconducts and amounts of money in extortion recovered from corrupt police officers. That report attracted a Punch Newspaper editorial.
“The CRU has performed with sheer determination by its personnel without funds and support from the police management. It has relied almost entirely on external support. The NPF must support the CRU as a tool to entrench discipline and combat impunity for police misconduct.
“For his determination, commitment, and consistency in promoting police discipline and accountability as Head of the NPF’s Complaints Response Unit (CRU), RULAAC adopts DCP Markus Ishaku, as its Police Officer of the year.”
Nwanguma further stated: “It was not so well for the Police Service Commission (PSC) which is the statutory external oversight and accountability mechanism for the police charged with the appointment, discipline, and promotion of police officers except the IGP. In 2022, the National Assembly initiated a bill to review the PSC Act with a view to strengthening it for the effective discharge of its oversight functions. The consideration and passage of that bill were stalled. In the coming year (2023), we want to see a revisit of that bill.”
He also stated that the sudden retirement of the immediate past Chairman of the PSC, Mr. Musiliu Smith, was a welcome development.
He added: “The appointment of a retired Justice of the Supreme Court in an acting capacity. For us, that signaled the victory of the staff of the Commission who had been agitating for improved staff welfare and reform and effective performance by the Commission. As part of the larger police reform agenda, RULAAC calls on the incoming government to take urgent steps to strengthen police external accountability mechanisms, especially the PSC in order to curb impunity for police human rights abuses. The police in a democratic society should not be a law unto itself. It should uphold the rule of law, which embodies the values of human dignity rather than the wishes of the powerful leader or political party. Effective external accountability processes may make the police more publicly accountable.”
Nwanguma calls for adequate training, provision of necessary equipment, and motivation of police to prepare them for the 2023 general elections in February and March 2023.
“The police is the lead security agency in election security. They will have a key role to play in providing security for election personnel and materials, political party agents, voters, election monitors, and other stakeholders in elections. Security is key to the integrity of the electoral process and the credibility of electoral outcomes,” said Nwanguma.
Markus Ishaku Basiran was appointed head of the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) of the Force by former IGP, M.A Adamu.
Basiran took over from ACP Abayomi Shogunle who was redeployed as Area Commander Nkalangi, Ebonyi State. The new head of the CRU resumed duty fully, on the 13th of May 2019.
Prior to his appointment, Basiran held different positions within the Force, some of which include; Police Public Relations Officer, Zone 12 Bauchi, Unit Commander in the Police Mobile Force (PMF) in Abuja and Bayelsa, O/C Research and Planning, Peacekeeping Office, FHQ Abuja, O/C Zonal Intelligence Bureau, Lokoja, Area Commander, Nkalagu, Ebonyi State.
He attended Policy, Strategy, and Leadership Course at Kuru Jos and Tactical Intelligence Command and Management Course in Enugu. He studied Sociology at Ahmadu Bello University and holds an M.Sc in Crime Management and Prevention from Bayero University, Kano.
He was expected to use his wide field of experience in refocusing the CRU on its core mandate of running a community-oriented Complaint Management System using a multi-platform reporting mechanism through which citizens’ complaints, concerns, and queries touching on professional Police misconduct as well as malfeasance by members of the public can be reported and addressed in real-time via a 27/7 Call Centre at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
If the RULAAC’s current award is anything to judge by, it means that Basiran did not disappoint.
