National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has tasked the police hierarchy on mental state of its gun-bearing officers. Its Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), gave the admonition while condemning yet another killing of a female lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, by a policeman in the Ajah area of Lagos State.

He described the incident as regrettable, adding that the officer had fallen short of standard operating procedure and professional ethics of the Nigeria Police Force.

Ojukwu charged the authorities to, as a matter of necessity, always ensure that officers bearing arms must, by all means, be mentally fit and respect rules of engagement to end these avoidable deaths.

He said NHRC toured the nation to train cops on human rights best practices and how to mainstream human rights in law enforcement operations, “yet we are still recording sad incidents of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the police officers.”

While commending the high command for the immediate arrest and custody of the errant officer, Ojukwu promised that the Commission will continue to monitor his investigation and prosecution to ensure that justice is served.