Nigeria attributes delayed trials to poor investigation

The Nigerian government on Wednesday attributed the high number of persons awaiting trials in prisons across the country to poor investigations by the police.

Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, said this in Abuja, the nation's capital city at the 2016 Police Week Seminar and launch of a compendium.

Dambazau said over 70 to 80 percent of inmates across Nigerian prisons are awaiting trials.

The minister advised the police to carry out thorough investigations before arresting suspects to avoid prison congestion.

He warned police officers against presuming an accused guilty of an offence before prosecution.

He said the onus of proof of committal lie squarely with the prosecutor and not the accused.

According to him, a lot was expected from the police whom the public sees as the custodian of law and order.

The minister urged the police to focus on training and retraining, among others, adding "without these you cannot carry out your professional mandate."

Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, said that policing under a democratic setting imposes a sacred and indeed, legal obligation of respect for citizens' rights on law enforcement agents.

He said the rule of law and human rights-driven policing approaches were critical components of his strategic policing plan on assumption of office.

Arase said the occasion was aimed at entrenching the virtues of rule of law in policing as well as recognize, articulate and present our rich history and policing journey. Endit