ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – A total of 1,234 complaints were lodged against police officers nationwide in 2023, based on the most recent findings from the Nigeria Police Force’s Complaint Response Unit.
The CRU which was set up to handle and respond to the public’s grievances against police personnel disclosed that 42 per cent of the reported complaints came from the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos State.
Details from the report indicate that 276 complaints were recorded in the FCT and 252 in Lagos.
Other states followed in this order: Rivers (96), Delta (67), Abia (60), Imo (50), Edo (47), Enugu (45), Ogun (36), Oyo (31), Anambra (31), Akwa Ibom (25), Kaduna (24), Nasarawa (21), Kogi (20), Kano (17), Cross River (15), Ondo (13), Bayelsa (12), Ebonyi (10), Osun (10), Benue (9), Kwara (8), Plateau (6), Adamawa (6), Niger (5), Bauchi (5), Ekiti (2), Jigawa (2), Katsina (2), Kebbi (2), Sokoto (2) and Zamfara (1).
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The document also showed that men submitted 84 per cent of all complaints, women filed 13 per cent, while 3 per cent did not disclose their gender.
In terms of complaint categories, professional misconduct ranked highest with 616 recorded cases 532 from males, 78 from females, and six with no gender captured.
Extortion followed with 228 cases, consisting of 202 from men, 23 from women, and three unclassified.
Abuse of power recorded 138 complaints 120 from males, 17 from females and one untagged. Other classifications listed were demanding money for bail (78), excessive use of force (44), inaction (38), incivility (28) and tampering with exhibits (6).
The report further shows that out of all complaints documented, 1,145 are still pending, 69 have been resolved, while 16 were closed due to complainants withdrawing, lack of cooperation, or issues outside the CRU’s mandate.
The Complaint Response Unit reiterated that it remains committed to transparency and accountability in police service and assured the public that all unresolved cases will be handled according to due process.