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Nigerian police kill and torture suspects, claims report
Many members of the Nigerian police are more likely to commit crimes than prevent them, a report claimed today.
Police personnel routinely kill suspects, use torture as a principal means of investigation, commit rapes of both sexes and engage in extortion at nearly every opportunity, according to joint findings by watchdogs in Nigeria and the US.
The authors urge the new Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, to make police reform a priority as he grapples with crime and corruption in Africa's most populous country.
"This shocking pattern of abuse calls into question the legitimacy of the entire Nigeria police force," said Okechukwu Nwanguma, program coordinator for the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, which conducted the research. "If President Jonathan truly means to improve public safety, then he must pay greater attention to police reform than his predecessor. We need to see renewed commitment at all levels during this critical time of transition."