Section 5 Nigeria Police Act

Section 5 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020 is about Duty of Police Force to enforce certain constitutional provisions, etc. It is under Part II (Establishment, Composition and Duties of the Nigeria Police Force) of the Act. It provides as follows:

(1) The Police Force is responsible for promoting and protecting the fundamental rights of persons in police custody as guaranteed by the Constitution.

(2) For the purpose of subsection(1), the Police Force shall collaborate with and maintain close working relationships with any government agency or relevant private initiatives in the establishment of schemes or mechanisms offering legal services to accused persons, detainees or accused persons in police custody in need of legal services to ensure that they have full access to justice as laid down under the relevant provisions of Chapter IV of the Constitution.

(3) In addition to the provisions of subsections (1) and (2), the Police Force is also charged with the responsibility for promoting and protecting the fundamental rights of all persons as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act and other international legal instruments on human rights to which Nigeria is a signatory.