RULAAC focuses on the following core program areas and activities:
- Monitoring, investigation and research on law enforcement policies and practices.
- Documenting, publicizing and publishing law enforcement violations and good practices.
- Intervening on behalf of (especially poor and vulnerable) victims of wrongful law enforcement practices and human rights violation, including facilitating access to justice through free legal services.
- Promoting human rights awareness and accountability for human rights violations through press conferences, newsletters, periodic human rights updates, periodic and annual reports, human rights litigation, and facilitating media programmes and interactions.
- Advocating for improvement in police welfare as a means of fighting corruption and humanizing the police.
- Promoting awareness and effective implementation of legislation underpinning human rights and law enforcement through training for law enforcement agencies and engagement with other stakeholders through focus group discussions and workshops. This includes conducting sensitization and awareness programmes for law enforcement agencies and citizens on human rights using national and international laws, Conventions and Protocols underpinning law enforcement: The Nigerian Constitution, the Nigeria Police Act, Administration of Criminal Justice Act/Laws, Violence Against Persons Act, Child Rights Act/Laws, Anti-Torture Act, and regional and international human rights legislation, etc.
- Engagement and partnership with Police oversight agencies and public complaints mechanisms (Police Service Commission, National Human Rights Commission, Complaints Response Unit, relevant legislative committees, Ministry of Justice, etc.) and the Police Trust Fund, to assist them in the effective discharge of their mandates.
RULAAC PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES
RULAAC has implemented several projects individually and in partnership with other local and international organizations, networks and coalitions aimed at promoting criminal justice reforms, rule of law and respect for human rights in the context of law enforcement.
RULAAC has participated in several efforts to promote the reform of the criminal justice system in Nigeria with special focus on police reform, police accountability and rule of law advocacy.
ASSESSING AWARENESS AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS THROUGH FIELD SURVEYS:
RULAAC, in partnership with the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), conducted reviews of awareness and implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws (ACJL) in Lagos and Anambra States and produced reports.
MONITORING LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN AND CURFEW:
During the Covid-19 lock down in 2020, RULAAC led a CSOs advocacy for the decongestion of police, correctional service and other detention facilities in Nigeria.
RULAAC followed this up with training for human rights monitors and engaged them to monitor and send in reports from different states to a central database on police compliance with Covid-19 protocols and Guidelines for law enforcement officers. That project ‘’Monitoring Police Action Within the Framework of Covid-19 Lockdown and Curfew’’ implemented in partnership with OSJI produced a report entitled ‘’Enforcement of Covid-19 Lockdown and Curfew: Opportunity for Law Enforcement Corruption, Abuse and Repression’’
https://www.ndr.org.ng/covid-19-lockdown-rights-group-indicts-police-over-violations/
ADVOCACY FOR LAW REFORM AND LEGISLATION REVIEW:
RULAAC was involved in the protracted advocacy that eventually resulted to the review of the 1943 colonial Police Act and the passage and signing into law of the new Police Act 2020.
The new Police Act is aimed at modernizing and democratizing the police and redefining the vision and philosophy of policing to bring it in line with modern democratic policing principles. The new Police Act provides a new legal framework to drive police reform in Nigeria.
RULAAC also played a key role in CSOs and other stakeholders’ advocacy that resulted to the passage and signing into law of the Police Trust Fund Act 2019.
MONITORING AND TRACKING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS AND DOCUMENTING INFRACTIONS:
RULAAC has been very active and consistent in monitoring and tracking the implementation of the Police Act, the Police Trust Fund Act, the ACJA and other relevant laws, to ensure effective implementation and holding the police and other duty holders accountable on the basis of the laws.
With support from MacArthur Foundation, RULAAC, as a member of the Police Reform Consortium, implemented activities across the six geopolitical zones to promote awareness of the Police Act and the Police Trust Fund Act. One of the outcomes was the establishment of a CSO Observatory (CSO-PTF Support and Oversight Group) and the creation of zonal WhatsApp groups to facilitate dialogue, reporting of violations and joint action to resolve reported cases.
PROMOTING ACCESS AND AWARENESS OF LAWS:
Under this MacArthur project, RULAAC, in partnership with the Police Reform Consortium, also produced and printed abridged, concise versions of the Police Act and the Police Trust Fund Act to create awareness and enhance access to the laws by police officers and civil society.
FOSTERING PLATFORMS FOR POLICE-STAKEHOLDERS DIALOGUE AND ENGAGEMENT:
One of the outcomes of the field survey to assess awareness and implementation of Anambra State ACJA 2010 was a capacity building (training) for civil society and other stakeholders in the state to address the deficit in monitoring capacity within communities and to fill the gap in citizens’ awareness of the Anambra State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2010. This also necessitated the inauguration of the platform, Police Stakeholders Partnership Forum (PSPF), which was launched in 2019 in Awka, Anambra state, as a follow-up to the review of the Anambra ACJL 2010.
PSPF was set up to serve as a mechanism for holding NPF personnel to account for rights violations while growing skills and awareness to ensure prevention and reduction of such violations.
RULAAC, with support from Open Society Justice for West Africa (OSIWA), has also facilitated the inauguration of police stakeholders’ partnership platforms in Rivers and Plateau States and also set up WhatsApp groups involving both citizens and heads of Police Units in the states to promote regular engagement, dialogue and problem solving.
RULAAC, in partnership with the Nigerian Policing Programme of the British Council inaugurated and currently coordinates the Lagos State CSOs Police Accountability Forum and has under this platform, organized roundtables to discuss issues around human rights and law enforcement, such as police and bail, child trafficking, Police resourcing etc.
ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMPLAINTS RESPONSE UNIT (CRU):
CRU is the internal accountability mechanism for the Nigeria Police Force which utilizes different social media platforms to receive and treat public complaints on police misconduct and provide feedback in real time. It potentially has the mandate to check police misconduct, stamp out impunity and restore legitimacy for the NPF.
RULAAC engages with the CRU with the view of assisting it discharge its important mandate effectively. With support from MacArthur Foundation, RULAAC has provided Publication Support to the CRU which enabled it, for the first time, to publish its Quarterly Reports for 2021 and part of 2022. RULAAC also facilitated one CRU Stakeholders meeting to review the work of the CRU during which the Quarterly report was officially presented and launched.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE CRIMINALIZATION OF POVERTY IN NIGERIA:
With support from OSIWA, RULAAC organised a national conference in 2022 on the Criminalization of Poverty in Nigeria and has also commissioned research and reports on communities under insecurity with a view to projecting the voices of the communities.
RULAAC promotes access to justice through daily interventions in cases of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention and police harassment; fighting for justice on behalf of poor and helpless victims of law enforcement abuse.
On a daily basis RULAAC receives complaints and promptly intervenes on behalf of poor or helpless victims of human rights violation, getting results in many cases, saving lives, creating awareness and deterrence and inspiring reforms and changes. RULAAC receives several calls from victims and their relatives, as well as referrals from NGOs, lawyers, former beneficiaries, police officers and others who seek our intervention. It can be overwhelming. We do not have all the resources, manpower and time to respond to all the calls and requests with the volume of requests, yet we try to do as much as is possible.
ORGANIZING EVENTS TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE AND HONOR OUTSTANDING POLICE OFFICERS:
RULAAC considers it important to publicly acknowledge and reward exceptional performance by outstanding police officers. While criticisisng and calling out police officers who are involved in human rights violations or professional misconduct, it is equally important that Police officers who stand out in their conduct or performance are commended and rewarded through public awards and to hold them up as examples and models of professional conduct. It is also a way to demonstrate that civil society does not only criticize but also commends. This is also in line with the Police Act 2020 which in Section 92, provides that:
‘Police officers who have distinguished themselves with their outstanding performance in the discharge of their duties shall be duly honoured and recognised for their gallant and exemplary service by the Police Force-
(a) by recommendation for national honours, attention being paid to deserving officers inclusive.
(b) through public presentation of awards and certificates of exemplary service from communities and civil society; or
(c) by the police setting aside a day or week in every year to celebrate outstanding performance by its officers and to remember their fallen heroes.’
As a reputable advocate of law enforcement accountability and transparent and responsible policing, RULAAC has been invited to give expert opinions and testimonies in foreign courts including in Canada and the US on cases involving asylum, child custody and criminal proceedings involving Nigerian citizens.