CATEGORIES OF CASES POLICE CANNOT HANDLE

[Olajire Deborah]

CATEGORIES OF CASES POLICE CANNOT HANDLE

There is a need for you to know that it is not all cases the Police can handle. There are limitations under the law as to what category of cases the Police can legally deal with.

In law, cases are generally divided into 2 categories- civil cases and criminal cases. Civil cases are transactions or matters which do not involve crime. Conversely, criminal matters has something to do with crime or offence under the law, as the name suggests.

a. Land Matters:
Under the law, the Nigeria Police do not have powers to interfere or investigate land matters when it concerns the issue of title and ownership.

b. Landlord/Tenant Matters:
For landlord/tenant matters, the Police cannot be used to eject a tenant no matter how horrible or terrible that tenant is. The Police cannot be used to eject a tenant because he is in arrears of rent, even if the arrears are for twenty years.

c. Divorce Or Child Custody Matters:
The Police cannot intervene or investigate a divorce matter between a husband and his wife. If Mr. John is fed up with his marriage to Mrs. Alice and wants to divorce her, it is not the duty of the Police to separate them or help John to send his wife away. The only legally recognized means of divorce is to go to the court.

d. Inheritance Matters:
Where a man dies and leaves properties for his children and/or family, it is not the job of the Police to entertain anything that pertains to the sharing of the property.

e. Chieftaincy Or Election Matters:
Where two or more people are contending for a Chieftaincy title, it is not the constitutional power of the Police to install one or the other, or even recognize one person above the other. It is a civil matter for which any aggrieved party can approach the court for redress.

NOTE:You are entitled to remedies under the law against the Police and the complainant if the Police have entertained cases they ought not to.

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