Nigeria Police, PSC, NHRC face scrutiny over impunity

Stanley Ihedigbo

Nigeria Police Force and its oversight bodies, the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), are facing intense scrutiny over their handling of two recent cases of alleged police brutality.

The cases involving the enforced disappearance and alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Johnbosco Onuocha and the demolition of the Chikadibia family home have highlighted a disturbing pattern of silence, complicity, and institutional tolerance for criminality within the police force.

According to the Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Com. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the silence and inaction of the PSC and NHRC in the face of these allegations are particularly troubling, given their constitutional mandate to check police abuse.

“Their failure to respond or initiate independent investigations raises critical questions about their commitment to accountability and human rights. The incidents have sparked widespread outrage and concern, with many fearing that the Nigerian Police Force is becoming a sanctuary for lawlessness. The PSC and NHRC must take immediate action to address these allegations and demonstrate their commitment to accountability and human rights.

“The Nigeria Police Force is fast losing its legitimacy in the eyes of the people, not because of a lack of resources, but because of a growing and disturbing pattern of silence, complicity, and institutional tolerance for criminality within its ranks.

“It is shocking—though not new—that the Nigeria Police Force has remained mute and inactive in the face of documented petitions alleging enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, unlawful detention, torture, and even property demolition without court orders. But perhaps even more disturbing is the deafening silence and inaction of the two key oversight and national human rights bodies that are constitutionally mandated to check this kind of abuse: the PSC and the NHRC,” he lamented.

He further lamented that their silence is not just bureaucratic indifference, but it is complicity, and it is unacceptable.

“Two recent cases glaringly illustrate this systemic failure of accountability. On June 17, 2025, RULAAC submitted a petition to the Inspector-General of Police concerning the enforced disappearance and alleged extrajudicial killing of Mr. Onuocha Johnbosco by operatives of the notorious Tiger Base in Imo State. The petition was acknowledged on June 19, yet as of today—nearly a month later—there has been no response, no action, no accountability.

“Mr. Johnbosco was violently abducted, held incommunicado, denied legal access, and eventually—according to Tiger Base officials—died in custody. Yet the Police Force has refused to make public any investigation, release his remains, or offer explanations.

“Even more troubling is that both the Police Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission, which received copies of the same petition and follow-up letters, have failed to respond or initiate any form of independent investigation,” he explained..

He further explained that this is not just a violation of domestic and international human rights norms—it is a betrayal of the very mandates these institutions exist to uphold.

“In another egregious case, RULAAC received credible information on July 9, 2025, that heavily armed police operatives in multiple Hilux trucks invaded and began demolishing the Chikadibia family compound in Alaukwu village, Osisioma Ngwa LGA, Abia State.

“The family had already suffered the illegal arrest, secret detention, and arraignment of Mr. Chikadibia and his three daughters in April, events that drew widespread public condemnation. Now, it appears they are being punished for speaking out.

“This demolition was carried out without a court order—a clear act of vengeance and intimidation. Yet again, neither the PSC nor the NHRC has publicly condemned the act, launched an investigation, or offered protection to the affected family.

“Their inaction raises critical questions: Whose side are these institutions on? When victims cry for help and oversight bodies look away, what hope is left for justice?” he stated.

According to him, together, these incidents reveal a dangerous normalization of state-sponsored impunity and institutional decay.

“Police officers act with confidence that they will not be held accountable. Oversight agencies look away. Victims are left defenceless. And the public is left to conclude that justice in Nigeria is selective, inaccessible, and often weaponized.

“We must not sleepwalk into Another #EndSARS. Let us not forget: the #EndSARS protests were not just a reaction to police brutality—they were an uprising against a system that enabled it through silence and indifference.

“If the Nigerian Police, PSC, and NHRC continue to ignore such gross violations, they will once again provoke a crisis of legitimacy and unrest that could explode beyond control. The Inspector-General of Police must act. But so too must the Police Service Commission, which is constitutionally empowered to discipline erring officers, and the National Human Rights Commission, which must assert its independence and defend victims without fear or favour.

“Our demands for immediate and decisive action are, full investigation into the death of Mr. Johnbosco and prosecution of all officers involved, release of his remains to his family and a formal apology, explanation and accountability for the demolition of the Chikadibia family home.

“Access to legal counsel and immediate protection for Mr. Chikadibia and his daughters. Independent investigation by the NHRC and sanctions by the PSC against all culpable officers. Clear public statements from both PSC and NHRC affirm their commitment to accountability.

“The time for silence is over. The Nigeria Police cannot continue to be a sanctuary for lawlessness. The PSC cannot continue to play dead. The NHRC cannot cherry-pick which rights violations to address.
To delay justice is to provoke injustice. To remain silent is to invite rebellion. It is time to choose: accountability or anarchy. The Nigerian people are watching,” he stressed.