The Nigeria Police Force has intensified efforts to strengthen internal accountability with renewed focus on its Complaint Response Unit (CRU), aimed at improving transparency, responsiveness, and public trust.
The newly appointed Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Okokon Edem, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT Council on Friday, where he emphasized the importance of deeper collaboration between the police and the media to enhance public awareness of ongoing reforms.
Edem described the visit as part of his familiarisation engagements and highlighted the CRU as a central digital platform that operates round-the-clock to receive, track, and resolve complaints from citizens. He noted that the unit handles cases ranging from professional misconduct to extortion, harassment, and human rights abuses by officers across the country.
According to him, recent upgrades to the CRU are designed to shorten response times, improve complaint tracking systems, and ensure greater transparency in how cases are resolved. He stressed that these improvements align with the reform agenda of the Inspector-General of Police to reposition the Force as more accountable and citizen-focused.
The Force PRO also announced plans to convene a media parley with Zone 7 Command, aimed at strengthening engagement with journalists at the zonal level. He urged media practitioners to actively participate, noting that accurate and informed reporting is critical to building public confidence in policing reforms.
“Journalists are part of the police family,” Edem said, adding that the media plays a crucial role in holding institutions accountable while supporting constructive change.
Responding, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT Council, Grace Ike, welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the council’s commitment to collaboration. She commended Edem’s openness and pledged that journalists would continue to amplify citizens’ complaints while closely monitoring developments within the CRU.
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She noted that effective reportage of the complaint system would ensure that issues raised by the public receive the necessary scrutiny and follow-up.
The enhanced CRU framework is expected to provide a stronger platform for citizens to seek redress, while enabling the media to play a frontline watchdog role by tracking how complaints are handled and resolved, thereby bridging the gap between the public and institutional accountability.
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