By Martha Agas
Jos – The Commissioner of Police in Plateau, Mr Babatunde Ogunyawo, has called for the review of obsolete laws in the State.
He made the call when he visited the Plateau state Commissioner for Justice, Mr Jonathan Mawiyau in Jos on Thursday.
Ogunyawo said it was worrisome that offences like possession of sophisticated fire arms, and crimes like rape and murder among others, were allowed options of fine thus encouraging criminality.
According to him, an offence like the possession of fire arms is lightly punished in the state’s penal code with just a fine of N40.
He said a prison term of even one year or a few days would have served a better deterrence.
“This visit is to seek partnership with the Ministry of Justice for the review and upgrade of obsolete laws in the state, like illegal possession of guns, rape and siphoning of government money for personal use which go with options of fine.
“The society stands the risk if they continue to be treated lightly and given options of fine as perpetrators will not relent in putting our lives and property in danger.
“It is important to get some of these laws upgraded and reviewed to save the society from lawless individuals”, he said.
He said the judiciary would help in ensuring a crime free society through ensuring criminals were sent out of circulation through imprisonment, reformation or by ensuring appropriate punishment was meted out to them.
The commissioner called on the public to report any misconduct by the police in the state for appropriate sanction as it would help in re-branding the image of the police in tandem with the change agenda of the government.
Mawiyau commended the commissioner for matching words with actions through the provision of police suggestion boxes across communities in the state as he had promised.
He informed him that attorneys-general in the country had planned to meet to finalise the code of conduct for all prosecutors across board to serve a guide in prosecuting matters.
“It is believed that the code of conduct will address ills of prosecutors and will ensure prosecutors who breach the code of conduct fashioned to fight crime are also punished,” he said.
He said the 19 northern Attorneys-General have visited the issues of inadequacies in the penal code and the criminal procedure and have submitted the report to the governors of the 19 northern states.
He said the inadequacies in terms of punishment would soon be taken care of and that the offences that had never been captured had been included in the review like ICT offences for speedy adjudication.
Editor: Emmanuel Nwoye
Controller: Idahosa Asowata