A total of 1,234 complaints were filed against police personnel across the country in 2023, according to the latest report by the Nigeria Police Force’s Complaint Response Unit.

The unit, which was established to receive and address public grievances against police officers, disclosed that 42 per cent of all complaints originated from the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos State.

Specifically, the report showed that 276 cases were reported in the FCT and 252 in Lagos, followed by Rivers (96), Delta (67), Abia (60), Imo (50), Edo (47), Enugu (45), Ogun (36), Oyo (31), Anambra (31), Akwa Ibom (25), Kaduna (24), Nasarawa (21), Kogi (20), Kano (17), Cross River (15), Ondo (13), Bayelsa (12), Ebonyi (10), Osun (10), Benue (9), Kwara (8), Plateau (6), Adamawa (6), Niger (5), Bauchi (5), Ekiti (2), Jigawa (2), Katsina (2), Kebbi (2), Sokoto (2) and Zamfara (1).

The document further revealed that 84 per cent of the complaints were filed by men, 13 per cent by women, while 3 per cent did not indicate their gender.

On the nature of the complaints, professional misconduct topped the list with 616 cases — 532 from males, 78 from females, and six with no gender indicated. Extortion followed with 228 complaints, comprising 202 from men, 23 from women, and three undisclosed.

Abuse of power accounted for 138 complaints, with 120 from males, 17 from females, and one unspecified. Other categories included demanding money for bail (78), excessive use of force (44), inaction (38), incivility (28), and tampering with exhibits (6).

According to the report, 1,145 of the total complaints remained pending, 69 were resolved, while 16 were closed due to complainants’ withdrawal, lack of cooperation, or unrelated issues.

The Complaint Response Unit reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in policing, assuring that all pending cases would be addressed in line with due process.