Justice Monitoring Committee Tasks Police DPOs on Health of Detainees

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) has harped on the need for leadership of Divisional Police Officers (DPO) to give due consideration to the health of detainees in their custody.

Executive Secretary of the ACJMC, Mr  Sulayman Dawodu, who gave the charge during the committee’s visit to some Divisional Police Headquarters over the weekend, where First-Aid kits were distributed to the stations to assist stations handle emergency cases before detainees are taking to the hospital for proper medical attention.

ACJMC’s Senior Supervising Solicitor of PDSS, Genevieve Johnson, who represented the Executive Secretary during the visit, stated that the focus on the health of detainees was as a result of the “gaps in the health and environment of persons in custody” at the stations.

“As part of our efforts with custody management, we distributed sleeping materials to stations in the FCT. However, further visits has revealed a gap in the health and environment of persons in custody and this prompted the need for this medical collaboration,” she said.

Johnson quickly assured the respective DPOs that the medical intervention was not been done as part of the committee’s supervisory role in the effective implementation of the ACJA, 2015, but because of the particular interest they have in the health of suspects as well as the officers.

Besides distribution of the First-Aid kits, the delegation, which included a medical doctor, gave several health tips for emergency situations and also taught officers in the handling of the First-Aid box.

At the visit to the Apo Divisional Headquarters, police officers on ground were privileged to learn first-hand when one of the detainees had seizure while the doctor, Idris Abdul-Fatai, quickly responded to the situation in their presence.

During an interactive session, the police officials who appreciated the committee for the gesture, however complained bitterly about hospitals response to emergencies from the police.

According to them, after making every necessary efforts to take a person urgently in need of medical attention to the hospitals, they are always ignored or asked to take such cases to another hospital without even administering any assistance to the patient.

The ACJMC outside the First-Aid kits, also supplied the stations with cleaning materials.

Genevieve Ike Johnson Esq, Senior Supervising Solicitor of PDSS, Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC).