Insecurity: Police, EFCC, Army told to review compensation policy for unlawful arrests

Hamza Dantani, a legal practitioner and human rights advocate, has called on security agencies in Nigeria, including the Police, the Army, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to review their policy on compensating innocent citizens who are wrongly arrested, unlawfully detained, or harmed during security operations.

Dantani made the call in a statement he issued recently.

According to him, the Police, the Army, the EFCC, and other security agencies in Nigeria should adopt the Department of State Services’, DSS compensation policy for victims of wrongful arrests and operational mistakes.

He noted that security agencies charged with protecting the nation also have a constitutional, legal, and moral responsibility to provide redress when innocent citizens suffer violations of their rights.

“It demonstrates that while security agencies have a constitutional responsibility to protect the nation, they also have a moral and legal obligation to acknowledge mistakes and provide remedies to innocent citizens whose rights have been violated”, the lawyer said. 

He stressed that efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality must always be carried out within the bounds of the law and with respect for fundamental human rights.

“The fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality is a national priority. However, the pursuit of security must never come at the expense of justice. National security and respect for fundamental human rights are complementary principles that strengthen one another.

“An arrest should never be treated as punishment, and detention should never become a substitute for proper investigation,” he said.