By Our Correspondent
Two human rights organisations have commended the leadership of the Onitsha Police Area Command, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Temitope Fasugba, for what they described as professionalism, discipline and fairness in handling cases involving women, children and other human rights matters.
The organisations, Excel Ladies International and Human Rights and Justice Advocates (HRJA), said ACP Fasugba had brought a new level of discipline to policing in Onitsha and its environs, while restoring public confidence in the Police.
The groups spoke separately during interactions with journalists in Onitsha, Anambra State, where they praised Fasugba for his handling of cases brought before him, his response to complaints and his alleged zero tolerance for bribery, extortion and abuse of office.
The Coordinator of Excel Ladies International, a registered association with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Mrs Jideofor Nneka, said her organisation had encountered several police officers in the course of its advocacy for the rights of women and children, but described Fasugba’s approach as exceptional.
She said: “We are women and we hardly talk to newsmen. Our activities speak for us. At Excel Ladies International, we fight for the rights of women and children, and in doing that, we have come across policemen and other people involved in the discharge of our duties.
“But I must tell you that ACP Fasugba has demonstrated excellence and honesty and has brought respect to police work in some of the cases we have taken to him.
“His transparency, honesty and discipline in discharging his duties have been infectious. We cannot offer him money because we don’t have it, and he will not take it. So we decided that the best way to appreciate and thank him for jobs well done is to tell the world what he is doing at the Onitsha Police Area Command.”
Nneka said Fasugba had demonstrated “zero tolerance for perversion of justice, bribery, corruption and extortion” by police officers under his command.
She added that although some people who preferred the old order might resist the reforms, the wider public was happy with the changes.
“Yes, we know that many who want business as usual in police work will not like what he is doing, but the public is happy with him. The majority of the people in Onitsha, including policemen under him, are happy and have fallen in line with him,” she said.
According to her, police extortion on the roads and criminal activities in the commercial city had reduced under Fasugba’s leadership.
Nneka also commended the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Ama, for posting Fasugba to Onitsha.
“We are hoping that he will have enough time to completely sanitise the Onitsha Police Area Command from what it used to be in the past,” she said.
Similarly, the National Coordinator of HRJA, Dr Basil Ogomegbulam, said his organisation had been working harmoniously with Fasugba in the fight against human rights abuses and violations.
Ogomegbulam said the police area commander had demonstrated that there were competent, intelligent and principled officers capable of restoring confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
“We have seen in ACP Fasugba that Nigeria has fine and intelligent officers that we can all be proud of. We have seen competence in his handling of matters we have taken before him. We have seen honest and fair discharge of duties in Mr Fasugba, and we can proudly say that there is a future in policing in Nigeria,” he said.
He particularly praised Fasugba’s responsiveness to complaints and his accessibility.
“His response to issues, his ability to take calls at any particular time of the day and immediate response with action is what has distinguished him from his peers we have worked with in the past.
“We are happy and satisfied with him, his men and his leadership at the Onitsha Police Area Command. We urge other officers and men of the Nigerian Police to emulate him.”
The commendations come amid continuing public scrutiny of policing standards, particularly allegations of extortion, abuse of power and human rights violations, making the groups’ endorsement of the Onitsha command a notable vote of confidence in its current leadership.
