The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has begun a major mental health screening exercise for officers and men.
Speaking during the exercise on Friday, FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, assured officers that the assessment would remain confidential.
He also stressed that the programme was created to improve wellbeing and operational performance across the command.
According to him, the exercise focuses on the physical and emotional condition of officers.
“We are conducting medical evaluations that cover everything about the health status of officers and men of the FCT Command and also to evaluate their mental status and see their stress level so that the medical team can advise accordingly,” Sanusi said.
The health assessment has already started with officers under the Metro Area Command. Meanwhile, the programme will later move to other commands including Kubwa, Life Camp and Kuje.
Sanusi explained that the exercise would not end after one round of screening. Furthermore, he revealed that regular checks would continue under his leadership to ensure officers remain mentally and physically fit.
“At least under my watch, I will ensure that every officer and man is being routinely checked. We are not going to do it just one stop,” he stated.
The CP also noted that health conditions can develop suddenly. Therefore, the command plans to repeat the exercise either quarterly or every two months based on medical recommendations.
The development comes at a time when conversations around police welfare, stress and mental health have continued to grow in Nigeria.
Sanusi disclosed that useful data had already been gathered from the ongoing screening process.
“With what I have seen so far, I am very satisfied. Officers have been screened and we are getting good data that we can use in proper planning and also come up with a lot of advice that can assist the force,” he added.
The police boss also addressed fears that some officers might avoid the exercise because of possible embarrassment.
“The intention is not punitive. The intention is not to humiliate them, degrade them or disgrace them,” he said.
He further assured officers that their medical records would remain private. In addition, no officer would have access to another person’s result.
“Whatever we are doing, even though we are doing it collectively as a force, the result of it is individual to each of them. Nobody will be allowed to know what the result of the other person is,” Sanusi explained.
Interestingly, the CP revealed that many officers had already requested free medical checks before the programme officially began.
However, the health assessment was officially ordered on April 30 as part of wider reforms.
Meanwhile, officers diagnosed with stress-related conditions are expected to receive counselling and proper guidance on stress management techniques.
“Each and every one of them that does not know how to manage stress level will now be educated on how to manage effectively their stress level,” the CP stated.
