Peace Corps must be allowed to operate in Nigeria - Falana

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has said the Peace Corps of Nigeria must be allowed to operate under the law.

Falana also criticized the recent arrest and parading of the Corps National Commandant, Dickson Akoh, by the police.
He stated this while speaking with journalists on Saturday in Abuja, after Akoh was released from police custody.

Falana argued that the organization was not illegal and described the invasion of their headquarters by police, as illegal and unconstitutional.

He said: "Generally, the parade of criminal suspects in the country by the Police is illegal.

"In this case, apart from the registration of its trustees under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, there are two judgments of the Federal High Court restraining the police from harassing and intimidating members of the organization."

Falana also confirmed he was negotiating for the re-opening of the office of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and explained why they must be allowed to operate.

"They must be allowed to operate under the law and we will get to that state where the police will appreciate that Nigeria is under-policed.

"We need volunteers, young men and women who should be organised by the state to handle those duties that will not require the intervention of the Police," he said.

"As at 2011, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to engage the services of 380,000 police personnel, between then and now, only 10, 000 are being employed.

"There is no way you can police about 180 million people with barely 380, 000 police personnel out of which about 120, 000 are guiding the elite and corporate bodies in the country.

"I thought the police should have embraced a body like the Peace Corps of Nigeria to make their job easier because the Nigerian Police operates under very difficult situations.

"Most communities are not policed, so herdsmen move into farms and kill people.

"Nigerians have not developed a litigation culture of challenging the killing of every citizen either directly or indirectly for which the government can be blamed," Falana said.