Parading Crime Suspects Reduces Public Confidence In Judiciary—Abuja Lawyer
An Abuja-based legal practitioner, Nelson Ilebor Kebordih, has given reasons why the Nigerian Police Force continues to parade crime suspects in clear violation of their fundamental human rights.
In Nigeria, it is common to see the police parading arrested crime suspects before the media, sometimes even before formal charges are filed.
This controversial practice, often justified by law enforcement as a deterrent against crime, has sparked intense debate over the years. While some argue it reinforces public confidence in the efforts of these agencies, others view it as a violation of the human rights of the suspects.
Recall that THE WHISTLER reported on March 11 that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, gave a directive for an immediate ban on the practice of parading suspects.
According to the force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the directive aligns with global best practices in policing and aims to protect the fundamental rights of all citizens.
He said, “The directive reflects a dedication to respecting the fundamental rights of all individuals, including those suspected of criminal activity.”
The IGP’s remarks echo the sentiments of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who was quoted by Punch to have directed the police to desist from parading suspects.
So, why exactly do police parade suspects? And what are the implications?
Barr. Kebordih, who spoke in an interview with THE WHISTLER, said the action goes against the fundamental rights of those paraded as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
He stressed the necessity for clearer legal guidelines to protect individuals against torture and degrading treatment, as media trials compromise the presumption of innocence.
He said the Nigerian Police Act 2020, which is usually quoted to justify the illegality, cannot overcome the general duty of the police to preserve and protect lives and property within the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its boundaries.
“Normally, once they arrest anybody in the course of their duty, they call the media, press men and television stations and begin to throw questions at them, even without these people having access to their lawyers.
“This act is very, very worrisome, and it has a lot of legal implications. The funny aspect of it is that the police will quote the police act as what gives them the power to arrest, detain and prosecute criminal suspects, but they have not been able to point to the particular provision of the law that permits them to arraign suspects before investigation or even before the court makes any pronouncement on them,” he stated.
The lawyer said several laws kick against the parading of suspects, which include the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) passed in 2015.
Speaking further, he said, “I will refer you to section 36 (4, 5) of the 1999 constitution, which has to do with the presumption of innocence and fair trial.
“We also have section 34, subsection 1, which talks about the dignity of every Nigerian. And accordingly, no one should be subjected to any form of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment. This was also amplified by virtue of Section 8(1) of the AJAC and Article 7 of the ACHPR.
“All of these provisions are eloquent to the fact that every person who is alleged to have committed an offence is still presumed to be innocent and entitled to the full protection of the law until the court decides otherwise.”
Kebordih noted that the parading of suspects is an oppressive act that is only perpetrated against the underprivileged in society.
“It is difficult to see a big man, politically exposed persons, or people with means being paraded before investigation and trial.
“This shows that the society operates in a disproportionate way, which is also an infringement on the rights that every Nigerian has to be treated equally before the law. This right is preserved by Article 3 of the ACHPR and Section 42(1)talking about discrimination.
“It is the duty of the police to prove that a suspect is guilty, and it can be done through the legal process. So, irrespective of what you think about the man, he can walk free if the court fails to find him guilty. This media trial runs contrary to the provisions of the constitution,” he stressed.
Kebordih said, however, that the police have continued to perpetrate the act because they believe that parading suspects is a way of increasing public confidence in their efforts.
The lawyer also said many of those usually paraded are forced or coerced into admitting to the crimes, stressing, however, that it damages public confidence in the judiciary as the people who watched the suspects admit to an offence will not understand when the court finds out that he is innocent and was only forced to make the admission.
The lawyer urged any victim of this to seek redress in court.
“The act of parading suspects is part of the culture of impunity and the recklessness of security agencies over the years. It is very disheartening that in 2025, we are talking about the IGP or Attorney General giving directives to the police not to parade suspects or engage in media trials.
“You see, the government and security agencies want to show the people that they are working, and so immediately they get these low-profile criminals; they just bring them in and begin to demonstrate to the whole world that they are working. Some of them are forced to make such a confession, while some are induced by torture or given promises to make these admissions.
“If you recall, when a journalist, Olaitan Oyerinde, was murdered years back, the police and SSS paraded two different sets of suspects in the same case. It just goes to show that the police and security agents have grown so much in impunity.
“Section 46 of the constitution provides that anybody whose rights are threatened can approach the high court, even up to the ECOWAS court. The court can award costs against the police.
“What is even dangerous about this thing is that when you parade someone before the media, in the opinion of the public, the person is already guilty. If tomorrow the person is found innocent, society will think the court has compromised on the case, leading to the resentment society has toward the court.
“When someone admits to committing a crime during the parade and the court finds that he was forced to say what he said because the evidence does not support what he said, it contributes to the loss of confidence in the judiciary.
“The truth of the matter is that you don’t need to parade anybody for the public to know you are working. If the police are sincere that the person is in custody.
“Everybody arrested is entitled to their lawyer so as to follow the progress of investigation and trial; so the excuse by the police is not valid, and it’s not just the police; most of these other agencies, like civil defence are doing the same thing. They need to know that this practice is wrong and everyone needs to frown at it,” Kebordih stated
Parading Crime Suspects Reduces Public Confidence In Judiciary—Abuja Lawyer is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
