By Usman Umar, Girei
In a renewed push to deepen transparency, professionalism, and public confidence in law enforcement, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) has organised a one-day capacity-building workshop for media actors on police reform and accountability reporting in Adamawa State.
The workshop, held at the Green City Hotel, Yola, brought together journalists, editors, and media practitioners drawn from across the state to strengthen responsible, balanced, and ethical reporting on policing, accountability mechanisms, and police–community relations.
Speaking during the sensitisation session, Mr. Aro Leonard, Founder of Kleveret Scenta, underscored PWAN’s sustained contributions to police reform and civic enlightenment in Nigeria.
“PWAN has achieved a lot in enlightening citizens on police reform issues. For many years, we have consistently trained journalists and police personnel, while also providing support aimed at strengthening accountability, professionalism, and trust within the policing system,” Leonard said.
He enumerated key achievements recorded through such interventions, including the promotion and strengthening of the Complaint Response Unit (CRU), sustained advocacy against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and continuous community engagement programmes designed to bridge the trust gap between the police and the public.
Leonard called on citizens to maintain constructive relationships with law enforcement agencies, noting that peaceful communities are built on cooperation and mutual respect.
“Where there is no effective policing, communities descend into lawlessness. I have seen examples, even outside Nigeria, where the absence of police presence led to a breakdown of order,” he warned.
While urging public support for the police, he stressed that accountability remains non-negotiable, encouraging citizens and the media to speak up and demand corrective action whenever officers act outside the law or professional standards.
In her presentation, Mrs. Folusho Ogar, a workshop facilitator, focused on the theme of humanising policing without excusing abuse, urging journalists to adopt balanced reporting that neither demonises nor glorifies the police.
“Humanising the police does not mean excusing misconduct. Journalists must avoid hero-worship and propaganda, while remaining firm, fair, and factual in holding the police accountable,” she said.
Mrs. Ogar further encouraged participants to engage constructively with law enforcement agencies and to amplify credible stories where the police have positively impacted communities, noting that such narratives help promote reform while restoring public trust.
The workshop concluded with a call for stronger collaboration among the media, civil society organisations, and law enforcement agencies as critical stakeholders in building a more accountable, people-centred, and professional policing system in Nigeria.
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