You know that all-too-familiar Nollywood-style police story? Your brother has an issue with the police, and next thing you know, they’ve picked up your mum, your wife, or your neighbour “until he shows up.” Well, in Abia State, the police boss says that nonsense has to stop.

Why Is This a Big Deal?

If you have lived in Nigeria, you’ve heard it before: police can’t find a suspect, so they arrest the father, mother, spouse, or landlord. It has been one of the most common complaints against the Force for decades.

But here’s the thing - it has been expressly illegal for years.

Under Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and Section 36 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020, it is unlawful to arrest any person in place of a suspect. The law states plainly: “a person shall not be arrested in place of a suspect”. You cannot arrest a wife. You are looking for her husband, or a parent, because you can’t find their child.

Despite that, it still happens. Just last year, the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) had to call out the police for arresting a journalist’s wife and 9-month-old baby as a proxy for her husband - an act they described as a clear violation of both laws.

That’s why CP Afolabi’s statement matters. It is not just moral talk; it is about enforcing existing law.

Think about it from the ordinary Abian’s point of view. You are at home in Aba, cooking soup, and officers show up saying your younger brother is wanted for a fight. You say you don’t know where he is. The next thing, you are in the back of a van.

You have committed no offence. You have no charge sheet. But you spend two nights in a cell, pay “bail money” that is not legally bail, and come out traumatised. That is the reality of proxy arrest - it punishes innocent people, erodes public trust, and makes people scared to report crime.

Afolabi also tackled the second half of that experience: extortion. He said officers caught extorting the public in the line of duty will not be spared.

Why It Matters:

1. For Justice: Criminal liability is personal. The Constitution says you are innocent until proven guilty - you can’t be guilty by association.

2. For Trust: Abia has battled issues of armed robbery, cultism and kidnapping around Umunneochi, Aba and Ohafia corridors. Police need intelligence from communities, but communities won’t talk if they fear being arrested for their neighbour’s crime.

3. For Professionalism: Mandating daily crime maps is actually modern policing. It moves the command from reactive “chase-and-arrest” to proactive, intelligence-led policing. That is how forces in the UK and elsewhere cut crime.

What Did the CP Actually Order?

CP Afolabi laid out four concrete steps:

1. No More Proxy Arrest: Any officer caught detaining family or friends instead of a suspect will face disciplinary action.

2. No Extortion: Zero tolerance for collecting money at checkpoints or for bail.

3. Crime Mapping: Every DPO must produce a crime map of their division - where, when and how crimes happen - and update it daily with AIOs and DIOs. This helps deploy patrols better.

4. Internal Discipline: The X-Squad is back on the streets to monitor officers, plus stronger station guards and strict compliance with the Nigeria Police Force Social Media Policy - no more unprofessional Facebook Live or TikTok videos from officers on duty.

What’s Next?

This is one to watch. The CP has spoken, but Abians will be looking for action.

If you are in Abia and an officer tries to arrest you because they can’t find someone else, you can politely cite Section 36 of the Police Act 2020 and Section 7 of ACJA 2015. Ask for the complaint to be properly logged, get the officer’s name and number tag, and report to the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) or the X-Squad.

For the Command, the next test will be whether we see actual sanctions - not just warnings - and whether those daily crime maps translate to faster response times in hotspots like Aba-Owerri Road and Umuahia-Uzuakoli.

The CP says his command is committed to the safety and security of Abia residents. If this ban holds, that commitment will mean more than just words - it will mean innocent people get to stay home.

Source: cbinewstv.com

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