LAGOS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Nigerian police plan to acquire
stun guns and revise their rules of engagement in an effort to
curb the use of deadly force, the inspector general of the force
said on Thursday.
The West African country, which plays a pivotal role in
regional stability, is riven by security problems ranging from
armed bandits who have forced 40,000 people to leave the
northwest in recent months to communal violence between nomadic
herdsmen and farming communities in central states. month, a United Nations special rapporteur described
Nigeria as a "pressure cooker of internal conflict" due to
security problems and what it said was an excessive use of
lethal force by police and military. Mohammed Adamu told a gathering of senior officers in the
capital, Abuja, that he had "initiated actions" toward deploying
less lethal weapons - commonly known as stun guns - for low-risk
police operations.
"This is with the intention of addressing public concerns on
misuse of firearms by the police with its attendant consequences
on lives and effect on the attainment of our community policing
vision," Adamu said, according to a copy of the speech
distributed to media.
He did not say how much the stun guns would cost.
Adamu said the force had also revised and simplified "Force
Order 237", which outlines its rules of engagement.
He did not specify what changes were made, but said the
redesign would ensure the "protection of fundamental human
rights" in policing.
The force is also arranging special training for certain
units, including the counter-terrorism unit, anti-robbery and
kidnapping squads, and criminal investigation specialists.