BNC commend the IGP on a national order for gun short victims

By Edo Unity League

Benin National Congress commend Mr. Solomon Arase (the Police IG) for ordering Health facilities in Nigeria to freely treat accident and gunshot victims before relating to the Police. Being a pres conference delivered on the 22nd August 2015.

As a sociocultural organization we have been following the activities of the new IGP with rapt attention, not because he is our son and brother, but because we were optimistic that he is a square peg fit for the current CHANGE regime of President Muhammadu Buhari. His recent order has vindicated everyone that staked their credibility for his capacity to salvage the Nigerian Police. It's on record that over two years ago, a Federal High Court gave a landmark judgement in a suit challenging the police policy that an accident victim or a patient with gun short injury must obtain Police clearance before treatment, the court ruled that the Police order was a gross violation of Nigerians rights to freedom of life; sadly, the police challenged that verdict and that was the last to be held of that suit; whereas, in advanced democracy that we claim to be emulating, Health facilities and Health care providers will show humanistic-concern even to terrorists or war crime suspects, with a view to making them live in order to obtain profound information from them and bring the full weight of the law on them. A recent case in point is the Boston Bomb suspect in the United States of America who received care and medical attention after he was apprehended. This recent order by the IGP is a mile stone in the CHANGE mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari.

We call on other public sector operators to inject far reaching reforms into their organs as President Buhari cannot be everywhere at the same time. The Police should seek support to acquire digital devices for crime detection as the world has moved far beyond analogue means of crime detection and investigation.

Of a fact, in saving lives, every criminal suspect or accident victim has a right to live, and they should be attended to whether they are suspects or lacking of admission fee. We commend the IGP for his indefatigable resolve to projecting Nigeria's image in the comity of properly-police-society. We solicit his cooperation to ensuring that this order is strictly compiled with by police and relevant health authorities. We call for more meaningful reforms as well as a robust police/public relations policy.

Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo, President.