The 15-page booklet describes how the police can effectively enforce national laws, prevent and detect crimes and maintain public order while also respecting established human rights practice.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro, represented by his deputy, praised the humanitarian assistance the Red Cross had provided during the Biafran war (1967–1970). He promised to adopt the booklet as a professional guide to practical police duties in Nigeria and was pleased to say that the ICRC’s initiative was in line with his cardinal objective of training and retraining police officers to improve efficiency and performance.

The head of the ICRC’s delegation in Nigeria, Jacques Villettaz, urged police officers to regard the booklet as a constant companion that would remind them of their duties. Production of the Guide to Police Conduct and Behaviour is one step closer towards achieving the objectives contained in a memorandum of understanding signed between the former Ministry of Police Affairs and the ICRC in 2005. These objectives include incorporating human rights laws and humanitarian principles into police curricula, and developing the instruction capabilities of police instructors in training institutions. The ICRC has so far trained 154 instructors from various police training institutions on human rights and humanitarian principles.

The ICRC’s main focus in Nigeria is to spread knowledge and promote implementation of international humanitarian law. The organization also works in cooperation with the Nigerian Red Cross Society to provide protection and assistance to people affected by violence and natural disasters. The Nigerian government and the ICRC signed a headquarters agreement in 1988.