The primary role of the police is to ensure strict compliance with existing laws and the maintenance of social order within a community. In this wise, the police reserve the authority by law to exert force in ensuring that the laws of the land are adhered to and that communal existence remains peaceful.
Also, the police force is expected to serve as agents of comfort and defence to the vulnerable members of the society who are susceptible to crimes, insecurity, brutality and denial of due process and human rights. However, the Nigerian experience with the police system generally has been chaotic, often characterised by several cases of human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, bullying, hooliganism, destruction of properties, aiding and abetting heinous crimes in various forms and degrees, and extortion, among others.
This is not to say that there aren’t a few cases of right-doing by the police force. Rather, the negative experiences far outweigh the few good ones; many documented cases describe the impunity-laden system that characterises the force, and Nigerians have prayed to the government to reform the entire police structure, but this has fallen on deaf ears over and again.
Nigeria’s highway experiences are a particular example of the rot that typifies the country’s black-uniformed system. Motorists travelling on the highways across the country have recounted tales of woes regarding their experiences with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). Many a time, barbaric experiences have been proved to result from a coordinated effort by officers of the NPF with armed criminals or from in-house mischief-making by the officers themselves.
Travelling from Lagos to Benin City late last month, I can recount a remarkable but unnecessary experience with the NPF. Somewhere around Okada, just after Igbinedion University, some officers ordered the vehicle conveying myself and some friends to park. Some other cars were ordered to do the same. About six in number, these officers were not looking like sane human beings. The man who ordered us to stop just kept commanding us at the top of his voice as he kept wiping salty sweat off his black and disfigured face. Another tall and dark officer holding a rifle and a stick similar to what herders use to direct their cattle kept shouting. He also ordered us to remove our bags and move to a nearby shed for searching. These officers looked dirty, smelly, and unkempt, and they also looked like armed robbers.
Read also: Nigeria’s agric investment slows over worsening insecurity
Best to me, authorities of the NPF have decried the stop-and-search routine by police officers, and they have ordered the discontinuance of the checkpoint and roadblock activities throughout the country. Various inspector generals (IG) of police have, in their respective times, given the order to cease all roadblock and checkpoint activities throughout the country: IG Mohammed Abubakar in 2012; IG Idris Kpotum Ibrahim in 2017, to mention a few. With this in my mind, I was quite shocked to have these untagged, unnumbered and unverified uniformed men order a stop-and-search protocol forcefully.
While in shock and quite hesitant, the tall, dark policeman with a rifle and herder-looking stick charged towards me and threatened a strike if I refused to carry my belongings and head towards the nearby shed for a search. This was the fate of about four vehicles carrying up to 20 travellers. My colleagues and I got questioned about our profession and where we were heading as they searched every pocket in our bags. We did not argue with them. When other travellers attempted to argue with them, they were dealt with. Phones were smashed, slaps dished out, and the officers violently issued death threats. We left the scene as soon as we were over with the search.
We drove past several roadblocks often manned by uniformed policemen without name tags who often bullied anyone they stopped. Also, several other law enforcement officers filled the roads as they mounted their respective roadblocks intending to extort and intimidate passers-by. There was the presence of the Nigerian Army, the NPF, the road safety corps and the Customs. However, the most horrific experiences occurred with the police.
Usually, the sight of the police should bring a feeling of relief and safety to travellers on the road. Still, in today’s Nigeria, the reverse is the case. People now experience an unprofessional display of force by these officers who shoot innocent people in a show of violent aggression, extort for self-gain, and cause road menace through illegal roadblocks and improper parking of vehicles. They also contribute to road accidents and avoidable deaths by commanding vehicles to stop suddenly or dragging the wheels with cars that refuse to stop for them.
Several tales of intentional extrajudicial killings and deaths by the irresponsible discharge of bullets abound, and the offending officers usually find their way out of the situation. Also, no justice is usually served to favour the affected victims or their families. No wonder the famous #EndSARS movement struck an unforgettable chord both within and outside Nigeria, but the world seems to have reverted to its initial equilibrium, and the struggle against police brutality continues. Many Nigerians now go on long-distance travel by road only when it is extremely necessary and inescapable. Motorists also prepare for encounters with police officers by ensuring that they have several wads of cash on standby in N100 and N200 denominations to avoid unnecessary delays and drama.
Clearly, the entire police structure requires reform. Reforms that address recruitment structure, rules of engagement with the public, bearing and use of weapons, welfare for employed officers and their families, correctional measures for erring individuals within the force, and many other areas of structural consideration should be consciously prioritised. Without these effectively put in place, then it should be highly noted that the Nigerian police is not your friend, and your contact with them must be documented and shared with the public, while your manner of approach and rapport with these officers must be as civil as you can afford.
