By Lanre Adesanya
The Concern Human Right of Nigeria and Activists for Good Governance, has express distaste for the brazing impunity of the Nigeria police regarding collection of bail money, the group demand this be outlawed in consonance with presents administration’s on corrupt tendencies.
The group further called on the Inspector General of police, Ibrahim Kpotun to urgently put a stop to collection of bail money by all police formations in the country.
The National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Declan Ihekaire made the call during a press conference at Funmilayo Bus stop, Agege, Lagos.
According to him, since the current administration President Muhammadu Buhari has been canvassing for anti-corruption crusade, the group argued for the people to take the government serious payment of bail should henceforth be abolished.
In a release made available to newsmen, Comrade Ihekaiire who turned 48 recently, lamented that vulnerable masses were made to cough out illegal money all in the process of granting bail to suspects.
The statement read in part, “When on the 21st of June 2016 that Mr Ibrahim Kpotun Idris came on board as the acting Inspector General of Police through the magnanimity of a President believed to be against corruption- President Muhmammadu Buhari coupled with Mr Ibrahim’s first graft revelation against his predecessor Mr Solomon Arase of being corrupt, Nigerians had thought that sanity will be restored in the police which will equally afford it a new lease of live.
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“But what we see today is an enlargement of the corrupt practises that has always dwelled with the Nigeria police. We thought civility has returned when Nigerians will no longer be subjected to the brute force of the police. We thought the era of Nigerians paying for bail is over, we thought detention above the stipulated hours is over,” Ihekaire said.
The release titled, “Almighty Bail Money” explained that “bail is an act or power given to law enforcement agents to release a suspect who has committed to a bailable offence to a reliable surety or on self cognizance.
“It is free and must be free at the police formations. That is why in the police bail bond or form which sureties fill it is stated as an oath that nothing was “given” or “taken” for the release of a suspect. To state the obvious, the deceit is very clear that only in rare instance that Nigerians are not blackmailed to pay for bail and sign the column that nothing was given or taken.
The group further explained that an average Nigerian is afraid of police cell, saying the police capitalized on the vulnerable masses and therefore turned to salesman that extort the public.
While calling on the public to always defend their rights, the group also charged the law courts to abolish stringent bail conditions to pave way for sanitized judicial proceedings.