The Nigeria Police Force is tightening its internal accountability system with a stronger focus on its Complaint Response Unit, or CRU. The CRU now serves as the Force’s main digital channel for receiving, tracking, and resolving complaints from members of the public.
CSP Anietie Okokon Edem, the newly appointed Force Public Relations Officer, brought attention to the upgraded unit during a courtesy visit to the NUJ FCT Council on Friday. He described the visit as part of his familiarization tour and called for closer collaboration with the media to improve public awareness and coverage of police reforms.
According to CSP Edem, the CRU represents one of the Force’s most important internal accountability tools. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to handle reports of professional misconduct, extortion, harassment, and human rights abuses involving police officers across the country. 
He explained that recent upgrades to the unit are aimed at cutting down response times, making case tracking more efficient, and increasing transparency around how complaints are resolved. These changes, he said, reflect the Inspector-General’s broader commitment to reforming the Force and rebuilding public trust.
Beyond strengthening the CRU, the Force PRO also revealed plans for a media parley with Zone 7. The engagement is designed to expand police-media interaction at the zonal level. Journalists have been invited to take part so they can gain firsthand insight and report more accurately on ongoing reforms.
“Journalists are part of the police family,” CSP Edem stated. He emphasized that informed and accurate reporting will empower the public to hold institutions accountable while also supporting constructive change within the police system.
The NUJ FCT Council, led by Chairman Comrade Grace Ike, welcomed the improvements to the CRU. She reaffirmed the council’s readiness to work with the police and praised CSP Edem for his open approach since assuming office.
Comrade Ike pledged that journalists would help amplify citizens’ complaints and spotlight CRU developments. By doing so, she said, the media can ensure that issues raised receive proper public scrutiny and follow-up. With a stronger CRU in place, the media now has a clearer opportunity to act as watchdogs from the frontlines, publicizing how complaints are lodged, tracked, and resolved, and helping to close the gap between citizens and institutional accountability.
