RULAAC calls for concrete reforms beyond press statement following CP’s promise of command’s professionalism
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has responded to the Imo State Police Command’s recent press release, saying the Command’s renewed commitment to professionalism and accountability comes after the organisation had repeatedly flagged similar concerns over the past two years.
In a statement, RULAAC acknowledged the Imo Police press release of August 4, 2026, in which Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to professionalism, discipline, accountability, and intelligence-led policing. However, the civil liberties organisation said these assurances follow a series of disturbing incidents, many of which it claims had already been brought to the Command’s attention through public statements, petitions, documented reports, and direct engagements.
According to RULAAC, concerns about police misconduct towards young people were first publicly raised as far back as 2024, at the First Imo Youth and Women Dialogue on Insecurity and Crime Prevention—an event co-sponsored by the Africa Youth Initiative for Crime Prevention (AYICRIP), RULAAC, and the Imo State Police Command.
The organisation said the National President of the National Association of Imo State Students (NAISS), Comrade Obi Okechukwu Anthony, had lamented persistent harassment of students by police officers on campuses during that dialogue, and urged police to engage students as partners in campus safety and crime prevention rather than subjecting them to intimidation.
RULAAC described that intervention as an “important early warning” that it said was not addressed with the urgency it deserved.
RULAAC said it subsequently issued further public alerts, including a statement titled “Young People Are Not Walking ATMs,” which documented what it described as persistent allegations of extortion, harassment, arbitrary arrests, and other abuses targeting young people in the state.
The organisation argued that had the Command made prompt and professional use of these warnings, many of the violations now drawing public attention, including those the Command is currently responding to, could have been prevented.
RULAAC said intelligence-led policing extends beyond responding to criminal threats, and requires police leadership to identify patterns of misconduct within the force, act on credible complaints from citizens and civil society groups, and prevent abuses before they escalate into public scandals.
The organisation said the recent viral incidents and disciplinary measures being announced reinforce its long-standing position that effective supervision, accountability, and early intervention are essential to professional policing.
RULAAC urged the Commissioner of Police to translate the commitments in his statement into concrete institutional reforms rather than reactive responses to public outrage.
Specifically, the group called for a strengthened internal accountability mechanisms, prompt investigation of complaints, and sanctions for erring officers.
It also called for protection of complainants from reprisals, institutionalised, regular engagement with civil society organisations, youth groups, and student bodies and adoption of early warning systems as a core part of intelligence-led policing.
RULAAC said public confidence in the police will be restored not through declarations alone, but through consistent, transparent, and measurable actions demonstrating that misconduct is prevented, detected early, and addressed decisively.
