NEC: Security Operatives Must Undergo Psychiatric, Drug Tests

The National Economic Council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday called on the leadership of the security agencies to ensure that persons recruited into arms-bearing agencies undergo psychiatric evaluations and drug tests before and after enlistment.

NEC said the evaluations would ensure that the personnel were psychologically fit to carry weapons and identify behavioural tendencies that might require psycho-social interventions.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘NEC: States, FG to pay compensation to victims of #EndSARS protests and prosecute those indicted’.

The council also urged personnel of the agencies to dutifully observe the rules of engagement in the discharge of their duties.

It said police accountability was being strengthened through the Police Service Commission, improved funding and budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Police Force and other securities agencies, as well as the lifting of the ban on recruitment of police officers.

It, therefore, urged the Federal Government to give priority to the general welfare of policemen and personnel of other security agencies.

It also advocated a review of pension and gratuity of retired police officers and equal remuneration for police officers and other security agents; a comprehensive assessment of all police stations across the country with a view to ensuring that they were fit for purpose; and deployment of cutting-edge technology by the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the fight against crimes.

The council equally called on the police to prioritise training of personnel in human rights provisions guaranteed by the constitution and in the professional handling of weapons.

It said, “All those detained by the police as a result of the #EndSARS protests should be expeditiously processed with due regard to the principles of fair hearing. The system established within the Nigeria Police Force for receipt and handling of complaints or petitions is strengthened, and all police officers on duty should be in police-approved uniform with their full names and force numbers boldly written for easy identification.”