The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Federal Government and police authorities to implement the findings of a coroner’s court into the death of 32-year-old Japheth Njoku in police custody, while demanding transparency over police pensions, the proposed state police system and enforcement of court judgments against the police.

The organisation said the failure to implement judicial findings, compensate victims of police misconduct and hold erring officers accountable remained a major obstacle to police reform in Nigeria.

Njoku reportedly spent approximately six weeks in police custody at Tiger Base, Owerri, before his death. The coroner reportedly found that his prolonged detention and the inhuman conditions under which he was held contributed to the deterioration of his health and eventual death.

In its weekly human rights and police accountability update dated October 12, 2026, RULAAC said the findings constituted an important test of the government’s commitment to accountability and the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights.

The organisation called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, the Imo State Commissioner of Police and the Attorney-General of Imo State to publish a clear implementation plan for the coroner’s recommendations.

The recommendations reportedly include the prosecution of officers implicated in alleged extortion and corruption, compensation and other support for Njoku’s family, the transfer of officers serving at the facility, installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in police detention facilities, improved training on criminal justice legislation and measures to prevent prolonged and unlawful detention.

RULAAC also called for an independent investigation into reported attempts to obstruct the court-ordered autopsy or intimidate witnesses.

Japheth Njoku entered police custody alive. His death cannot be treated as an administrative inconvenience.

— Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre

It said the authorities reportedly had three months to implement the recommendations, warning that failure to act would reinforce public perception that even judicially established police misconduct attracted no meaningful consequences.

RULAAC pledged to monitor implementation of the recommendations, including criminal investigations and prosecutions, disciplinary proceedings, compensation, personnel transfers, installation of CCTV systems and improvements in custody management.

NHRC records over 92,000 law enforcement complaints

The organisation’s call for accountability came as figures from the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) August 2026 Human Rights Situation Dashboard indicated the scale of rights violations and complaints requiring attention.

According to RULAAC, the dashboard, published on October 5, recorded 297,943 complaints nationwide, with 92,144 classified under law enforcement and human dignity.

The commission also reported 103 visits to police stations, correctional centres and other places of detention, alongside 31 summonses or letters issued to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

RULAAC said the figures demonstrated that violations associated with law enforcement were not isolated incidents but pointed to structural problems requiring institutional remedies.

However, it stressed that the number of complaints alone could not establish whether victims had obtained justice.

The organisation urged the NHRC to disclose the number of complaints investigated and substantiated, officers disciplined or prosecuted, victims compensated and police formations repeatedly implicated in complaints.

It also called for the publication of disaggregated data by state, police formation, nature of violation, sex and age of victims, investigation status and remedies obtained.

According to RULAAC, the commission should publish compliance indicators showing how police authorities respond to its summonses, letters, findings and recommendations.

Such disclosures, it said, would help Nigerians assess whether the recently established NHRC–NPF Joint Liaison Framework was producing measurable improvements in police stations and detention facilities.

State police: RULAAC warns against political abuse

On the proposed establishment of state police, RULAAC warned that decentralising policing without adequate safeguards could reproduce existing abuses at the state level.

The organisation noted that the proposed constitutional amendment had been transmitted to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, with Edo, Oyo, Osun and Rivers States reported to have approved it as of October 6, 2026.

It said approval by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly was required for the constitutional alteration process to advance.

While supporting decentralisation in principle, RULAAC argued that Nigeria’s highly centralised police system was overstretched and often unable to respond effectively to local security challenges.

It said properly designed state police services could improve local knowledge, response time and community participation in security governance.

However, it warned that decentralisation without strong institutional safeguards could expose policing to political interference and abuse of power.

The central question is not merely whether states should have police services. It is whether those services will be protected from capture by governors, political parties and other powerful interests.

— Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre

RULAAC noted that the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill had identified proposed national standards covering recruitment, vetting, training, remuneration, pensions, custody management, firearms control, complaints, discipline, independent oversight and financial sustainability.

It, however, expressed concern that the proposed operational legislation containing the safeguards had not been made fully available for public scrutiny.

The organisation called for the immediate publication of the draft National Policing Bill and public hearings by state Houses of Assembly before they vote on the constitutional amendment.

It also demanded independent oversight mechanisms at federal and state levels, clear national minimum standards for recruitment, training, salaries, custody, use of force and discipline, as well as demonstrable financial and institutional readiness before any state police service begins operations.

RULAAC further urged the government to adopt a phased transition to prevent rushed deployment of state police services for political purposes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It maintained that constitutional approval should not automatically translate into immediate deployment, insisting that safeguards against political persecution, discriminatory enforcement, torture, arbitrary detention and election-related abuse must first be established.

Police pensions: Government urged to clarify status of bill

RULAAC also called on the Federal Government to clarify the status of the Police Pension Board Bill reportedly passed by the National Assembly and transmitted for presidential assent, amid continuing uncertainty over the retirement benefits of serving and retired police officers.

The organisation said recent statements by the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and NPF Pensions Limited had created uncertainty about the government’s preferred policy direction.

According to RULAAC, the Ministry of Police Affairs, on October 5, acknowledged retired officers’ demands for the Nigeria Police Force to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme, as well as the legislation reportedly passed by the National Assembly to establish a dedicated Police Pension Board.

However, NPF Pensions stated that a presidential committee was considering measures to improve the benefits of retired officers within the existing contributory scheme, while PenCom had referred to presidential instructions to resolve the pension controversy.

The organisation said the public was consequently confronted with three possible policy options: presidential assent to the Police Pension Board Bill, complete withdrawal of the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme, or retention of the existing arrangement with increased contributions and improved benefits.

It criticised the government for failing to clearly state which option it had adopted.

RULAAC demanded disclosure of when the bill was transmitted to the President, whether assent had been granted or withheld, or the legislation returned to the National Assembly.

It also sought information on the membership and terms of reference of the presidential committee examining police pensions, the representation of serving and retired officers in the decision-making process, and the financial implications of each proposed arrangement.

The organisation called for an independent and transparent examination of allegations concerning the administration of police pension funds, including management charges, investment performance, delayed payments, complaints and the accountability of pension-fund managers.

It said adequate remuneration and dignified retirement benefits were essential to police reform, warning that poor pay, uncertain benefits and inadequate pensions could undermine morale and contribute to corruption and extortion.

However, it stressed that pension reform must be transparent, sustainable and developed with the participation of those directly affected.

RULAAC raises concern over enforcement of court judgments

The organisation also raised concerns about obstacles faced by victims of police misconduct in enforcing court judgments, citing a Federal High Court in Lagos that reportedly ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to disclose details of Police Service Commission accounts in connection with the enforcement of a N100 million damages judgment.

The underlying case reportedly arose from the killing of a pastor’s wife and the shooting of her husband by a police officer in 2015.

RULAAC said the case illustrated a broader problem in which victims could spend years pursuing justice in court but encounter further difficulties in obtaining compensation after securing favourable judgments.

A favourable judgment that remains unpaid does not provide an effective remedy.

— Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre

The organisation called for a transparent mechanism to ensure timely implementation of court judgments arising from police misconduct, while preserving criminal, disciplinary and recovery proceedings against officers found responsible.

It also urged the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission to publish information on outstanding judgments, amounts awarded, sums paid and reasons for delays.

Demands stronger safeguards in police custody

Beyond the individual cases, RULAAC called for stronger safeguards to prevent torture, unlawful detention and other violations in police custody.

It urged the authorities to introduce digital custody registers, audiovisual recording of interrogations and properly safeguarded CCTV systems in detention facilities.

The organisation also called for early access to lawyers, relatives and medical assistance for persons in custody, alongside independent monitoring of detention facilities.

It further stressed that allegations of torture, extortion, unlawful killing and other criminal offences by police officers should be subjected to criminal investigation rather than handled solely through internal disciplinary procedures.

RULAAC noted that Nigeria already had legal and institutional frameworks, including the Police Act 2020, the Anti-Torture Act, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Police Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission.

It argued that the central challenge was no longer simply the absence of laws or institutions but the persistent failure to enforce existing laws, implement findings, discipline offending officers, compensate victims and ensure transparency in official decisions.

The organisation urged the government to prioritise publication and public scrutiny of the National Policing Bill, resolve the police pension controversy transparently, implement the Njoku coroner’s recommendations, publish detailed human rights complaint data and ensure effective enforcement of court judgments.

It maintained that the success of police reform should be measured by tangible improvements in the treatment of citizens, accountability for misconduct and protection of human rights.

“Police reform will not be judged by committees, policy documents and public assurances alone. It will be judged by whether people are safer in police custody, whether complaints produce remedies, whether offending officers face appropriate consequences, whether retired officers receive dignified benefits and whether new policing structures are prevented from becoming instruments of political oppression.”

— Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre

The update was signed by Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre.