Following years of dissatisfaction with the performance of the police, the “End-SARS” protests took place in October 2020, with citizens demanding the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit associated in the public view with police brutality and abuses. The protests ultimately led to the dissolution of SARS and the establishment of judicial panels of inquiry in many states investigating cases of alleged torture, unlawful imprisonment, extortion, and extrajudicial killings. Despite these steps, impunity for violations by the Police remains widespread.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office Nigeria (CONIG) in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with funding support from the United Nations Peace Building Support Office (PBSO) and its partners, the Nigeria Police Force, is implementing the project: Reducing Grievances through Strengthening the Conflict and Gender-Sensitive Oversight Mechanism of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to support the Nigeria Police Force in the FCT (North-Central) and Kano State (North-West).
The project’s goal is to enable the Nigeria Police Force to better address police impunity as a driver of conflict and instability in the country by strengthening its internal and external oversight mechanisms through two key objectives:
The project through capacity-building and expansion of the Complaints Response Unit in FCT and Kano State is better able to receive, investigate, and respond to public complaints about police misconduct, and with technically targeted support to external oversight bodies that complement the efforts of the CRU and strengthening of police’s transparency and accountability, contributes to strengthening police integrity and building public trust and confidence in the police. UNODC, in partnership with OHCHR, supports both internal and external oversight mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of the complaints response system and prevent future violations by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). This initiative aims to reduce grievances among the population and promote stronger peacebuilding within the country. Additionally, it ensures collaboration between internal and external oversight bodies to effectively address citizens' complaints and bolster police integrity.
The project will address the substantive needs of the CRU in FCT and Kano, which enhances CRU’s capability to respond to public complaints of police misconduct more effectively and efficiently through strengthening the institutional setup of the CRU (establishment of a strategic action plan, SOPs, flow charts, and communication protocols, as well as an M&E and reporting plan based on sound data collection and management to support police accountability), providing the Unit with basic operational support (refurbishment of offices, equipment and IT support), supporting the recruitment and deployment of additional staff into the CRU (particularly female officers), training staff on human rights and gender-sensitive policing and client management, and raising public awareness and engagement through CRU platforms. The project also supports the analytical and reporting capacity of the CRU to better understand and respond to violations and abuses by the police against civilians.
The capacities of external oversight bodies, including the Nigeria Human Rights Commission and the Police Service Commission, anti-corruption agencies, and CSOs, including women-led and youth-led organizations, are strengthened to enable the various platforms to vet and handle complaints against the Police and refer them to appropriate mechanism for processing, including the CRU. Specific training on case management, referral pathways, and human rights-based policing (use of force, policing by consent, accountability and integrity, police professional ethics, treatment of victims and witnesses, etc.) are some of the technical capacity modules covered by the project.
Gender analyses and gender mainstreaming are included in all stages of interventions, including the prioritization of gender-related violence or complaints lodged with the Complaints Response Unit or with external oversight bodies.
