In a renewed push to strengthen police accountability and public confidence nationwide, Nigerian media practitioners have been urged to take the lead in explaining and advancing ongoing police reforms, particularly the provisions of the Nigeria Police Act 2020.
The call was made in Kano at a one-day workshop for media actors on reporting police reforms and accountability issues, organised by the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiatives, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), with support from UKaid Foreign Commonwealth Development office.
Speaking at the workshop, the Acting Programme Manager of Partners West Africa Nigeria, (PWAN) Mrs. Aisha Isa Yusuf, said effective policing reforms cannot succeed without informed media engagement and public understanding.
She noted that communities affected by insecurity, weak governance and human rights violations require reforms that safeguard lives, dignity and access to justice, particularly for vulnerable groups.
Mrs. Yusuf explained that the enactment of the Nigeria Police Act in 2020 marked a major shift from the outdated colonial-era Police Act of 1943, introducing frameworks to promote professionalism, accountability and respect for human rights within the police force.
She stressed that awareness gaps remain a major obstacle to its effective implementation.
According to Aisha, “to operationalise the Act, we developed abridged and simplified versions to remove legal jargon and make the provisions accessible to the public, the media and even police officers themselves.
“We have conducted similar trainings for both senior and junior police officers, as well as community members, to help citizens understand their rights and engage constructively with the police.”
According to her, media practitioners also face capacity gaps in reporting police reforms, which often results in misinformation, slow implementation of reforms and continued rights violations, including gender-based violence.
“To address this, PWAN is implementing a nationwide project titled Enhancing Public Trust and Gender Responsive Policing in Nigeria, targeting all six geopolitical zones.”
She disclosed that similar workshops have been held in other states with Kano being one of nearly ten states covered so far in the effort to build a national momentum around the Police Act.
“Our objective is to promote effective implementation of the Act by increasing awareness among police officers, media practitioners and the public, strengthening media and community engagement, and building public trust in the Nigerian Police Force,” Mrs. Yusuf added.
Media as Catalyst for Police Reforms
On his part, development communication expert, Mr. Udoh Okenyodo, identified the media as a critical catalyst for police reforms, urging journalists to adopt developmental reporting and solutions journalism in their coverage of security and accountability issues.
He said such approaches would help translate complex reform processes into clear, relatable narratives that ordinary Nigerians can understand, while also highlighting both police efforts and existing gaps.
Another facilitator, Mr. Aro Leonardo, stressed the importance of mainstreaming the Police Act and its regulations in everyday reporting, particularly on police conduct, arrests, stop-and-search procedures, profiling and other law enforcement practices.
Participants at the workshop expressed optimism that improved media reporting would help bridge the trust gap between the police and the public, noting that transparency, accountability and informed storytelling remain central to building a more people centred policing system across Nigeria.