NGO trains 50 Adamawa Journalists on Police reform, accountability

NGO trains 50 Adamawa Journalists on Police reform, accountability

The Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), has trained no fewer than 50 journalists in Adamawa on police reform reporting.

Zainab Waziri, PWAN Programme Officer, disclosed this at a one-day capacity-building workshop held on Friday in Yola.

The workshop was supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), with the theme: “Enhancing Public Trust and Gender-Responsive Policing in Nigeria Through the Effective Implementation of Police Act and Regulations.”

Waziri said PWAN is a women-led non-governmental organisation promoting citizens’ participation, security governance, and protection systems across Nigeria and West Africa.

She said the training aimed to equip journalists with knowledge, skills and tools for effective coverage of police accountability and reform initiatives.

Waziri added that the programme also focused on strengthening gender-sensitive and rights-based policing reportage.

Mr Abdullahi Ibrahin, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Adamawa Council, commended PWAN for organising the workshop.

Ibrahim said the training would deepen journalists’ understanding of police reform issues and enhance professionalism in practice.

Mr Aro Leonardo, Media Consultant and facilitator, said the training focused on the Police Act signed into law in 2020.

Leonardo said the Act seeks to promote an effective and efficient police force anchored on accountability, transparency and respect for human rights.

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“The training was strategically designed to strengthen the professional capacity of media practitioners to mainstream the Police Act and Police Regulations into everyday journalism, particularly in reporting police conduct, arrest procedures, stop-and-search practices, profiling, and accountability mechanisms,” he said.

He emphasised solutions journalism, evidence-based reporting and development journalism as tools for building public trust.

Mrs Folusho Ogar, a facilitator, urged journalists to humanise policing by understanding officers as individuals working under institutional constraints, while rejecting misconduct and unlawful practices.

“Journalists need to understand and empathise with police officers as human beings who have families and work tirelessly to protect the society.

“Such understanding would promote responsible reporting,” She said.

A participant, Mrs Samamo Dedan, appreciated the organisers and pledged to apply the knowledge gained to promote responsible and balanced reporting.