By Salisu Suleiman.
If the Nigerian police had not cold-bloodedly
executed the leaders of Boko Haram, the country might have been spared the sect’s
murderous rampage that has left large tracts of the country prostrate and in a
virtual state of war. As it is, four years after the act, not one police
officer has been convicted, though the faces of the culprits were clearly
visible from the secret recordings of the extra-judicial killings.
The Nigeria police was established as a
coercive arm of the British colonialists and is yet to change that mentality. For
the police, it is always ‘we’ against ‘them’, which is why the fact police
officers routinely shoot unarmed suspects without trial is no longer news, nor
are we shocked by the rote killings of bus drivers for refusing to part with N20
naira bribes.
According to international convention that
recommends of 1 policeman to every 140 people, the country has a huge deficit
of police officers. Nigeria needs at least 1 million policemen, but we have
less than half that number, most of whom are ill-trained, ill-equipped, ill-tempered,
and very prone to ‘accidental discharges’. Yet, many of these officers that can
hardly be trusted with even the most basic and routine functions, and who have little
or no legal knowledge actually prosecute cases in our courts.
The recent visit by President Goodluck
Jonathan to a Nigerian Police college revealed the horrific conditions under
which police cadets train, and also raises many posers. Were funds meant for
rehabilitation of police colleges diverted, and if so, by whom? What happened
to the Police Equipment Foundation and the trial is its management over fraud
allegations? If the former Director in the Police Pension office could steal a
staggering 23 billion naira and escape prison, did he steal the funds with the
knowledge and active collaboration of the higher echelons of the police?
What is responsible for the state of the
Nigeria police? What happened to the various police reform committees set up by
government? Why has government consistently refused to consider the
constitutionality of state and local police? To whom do state police
commissioners report and what is the propriety of their relationships with
state governors? As important as these posers are, the more germane issue,
however, is what do we expect from the police when they have been so brutalized
in training, live in such squalid accommodations in police barracks, are paid
such poor salaries, then given guns to roam the streets?
And while we are at it, it is also important
to open a about dialogue our dysfunctional criminal justice system: Recently in
Abeokuta, a magistrate court headed by Idowu Olayinka sentenced 49-year-old
Mustapha Adesina to two years in prison for stealing vegetables valued N5, 000.
These were the same laws that fined former Edo State governor Lucky Igbinedion,
a mere N3 million after was convicted of stealing N9 billion, as was Cecilia
Ibru who was given six in a hospital for stealing more than N190 billion from
Oceanic Bank.
Similarly, when the former Inspector General
of Police, Tafa Balogun was charged for incorporating some companies to loot
the police treasury through bribes and kickbacks on contracts through which
billions of naira were fraudulently withdrawn from the police account and
transferred to the companies to buy shares and landed properties and foreign
currency, what was the verdict?
During the trial, the Judge, Justice Binta
Nyako in her judgment said she considered the fact that Balogun was a “first
offender” and had “shown remorse” throughout the trial and sentenced him to of
six months’ imprisonment and a fine half a million naira on each of the eight
charges against him. Though he was convicted of stealing money to buy shares
and landed property amounting to 150 million US dollars, including money
stashed in banks, shares in blue chip companies and 14 luxury buildings, he
spent less than six months in jail and is a free man today.
On the other hand, the police detain thousands of citizens for
years on suspicion of crimes that would not attract more than a few months in
prison, or even a fine. Many are there simply because they cannot afford legal
representation. Most observers agree that our police cells and jails are
crammed with suspects accused by the police of stealing fowls, goats, tubers of
yam and other mundane items.
The missive from the Nigeria police and
justice systems seems to be: if you must commit a crime; do not steal a stringy
fowl, famished goat, or tattered pair of shoes. Do not steal a bottle of palm
oil or a loaf of bread because you may be detained for several years or more
without trial, or a police bullet in your back for ‘attempting to escape’.
Ultimately, no one should be alarmed: With
the nature of our police colleges, police barracks, and warped justice system, it
is only normal that the Nigeria police would parade such a ghoulish mentality.
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