Disreputable Nigeria Police Force

Disreputable Nigeria Police Force

One good man can alter the destiny of a Country and one bad man can ruin a Nation.

I take passion in writing about Nigeria Politics but now I realized that am only focusing on the hole in ‘Doughnut’ while taking my eyes away from the rounded fence. At times, we need to stop talking about politics and talk about what degrades our society. Here, I’ll like to talk about the Nigeria Police Force.

If you look at the traffic controllers on our roads (check-points), you will think that they are decent men, but if you look intently at them very well, you will find out that they are rotten carcasses, criminals and the likes.

They keep disgracing the country on check-points. Although they are given salaries, yet they beg (at times they Shakara) for 20 naira on the roads; they turned themselves to professional beggars. They turned the check-points for safety to extortion-points; at times they carry-out road-blocks at night if they made a small amount of money during the day. They are armed robbers in disguise.

My 2 hours Experience on Ilesa-Akura Expressway:

It was on a Friday evening, On my journey to nowhere, I was stopped by a Policeman (name withheld) on-getting to a town second junction. The Policeman asked of the Car Particulars I drove; though I was a learner then, I showed him my ‘Learner’s Permit’, he told me to park the car very well and come down, I did; I asked of my offence after showing him my ‘learner’s permit’, he kept quiet; he later said, ‘Chairman, Una be Student na, Una Suppose know the next step of action, abi una wan stay here for hours ni?’, all he wants is for me to dip my hand into my pocket and give him money which he never worked for.

I made up my mind that I won’t do such a thing, I won’t add to the degrading factors of my beloved country ; he said I should sit down if I can’t ‘Roja’ him. Immediately, a thought came to my mind that why can’t I sit down to witness what I have been hearing about the disgraceful act of our Policemen, then I told the man that it will even be my pleasure to play with him. He told me to sit on a bench beside the road which they sits-on. On that bench, there are also his two colleagues; I greeted them and sat beside them.

His colleagues asked me what happened and I told them, I think they could help but they kept quiet when they discovered that I didn’t ‘Kun ile l’oda’ (drop money). I kept quiet and pretend as if am a complete gentle guy, not knowing that I was watching all the discreditable act of their colleague on road. I looked intently at him very well.

Whenever a Motor approaches him, He tells the motorist to ‘ROJA ME’, if the man behind the steering looks like somebody who can part with some cash. I mean if the motorist looks like a big man (rich), the policeman will stamp his feet on the ground, flings his right hand up in a warm salute and shout; ‘Area Calm Sir’, or he tells the man; ‘Your Boys are here Sir’, or he may say; ‘Wetin Una Chop Remain Sir?’, at time he says; ‘E funwa l’owo Pure Water Sir’. But, if it’s those NURTW people, he will say ‘Una don pass here today?’ or ‘Una don see us today?’ at times he says ‘Oga U never drop o’ (they understand since they see themselves everyday), if a Motorcyclist (Okada man), or a Taxi (kabu-kabu) driver approaches the policeman, he will boom and say; ‘Wetin Una Carry?’, Imagine!

Are Policemen no longer being paid salaries?

It degrades the Police when its officers carry the handbags of Politicians’ wives at parties. They are made to run unsavoury errands, including being bouncers at such revelries. But the worst abuse occurs when the Police are used to subvert the will of the people in Vote grabbing, thereby stifling democracy. They, by so doing, prevent willy-nilly the essence of their calling by confusing their responsibility to the State with their blind loyalty to the men holding the ‘Levers of Power’.

FLASHBACK:

In April 2007, during the general elections, the Police were deployed into civil society to sanitise the elections but stuffing of ballot boxes, vote’s inflation, intimidation of voters, electoral fraud happened under their eyes, even with their connivance.

From my research, I learnt that Nigeria Police Force has a historical knack for corruption, inconsistency, torture, blackmail, armed robbery, suppression, oppression, repression, extortion, intimidation, murder and the likes. I think we need to reform the Police force before it becomes a menace to our society (before becoming a ‘thorn in our flesh’ like Niger Delta Militants, Boko Haram Sect.).

A friend suggested that maybe their dark uniform should be changed because the symbolism of the dark uniform of the Police conveys a presentment of Evil, giving the men a kind of mournful appearance. This provokes deep thoughts about their minds. Many Kids do ask their parent when they see a Policeman that are they devils, since they read in their textbooks that devil is black. Now, I’ll like to ask, are Policemen devil in the uniform, considering their excesses?

To the suggestion of my friend, I don’t think the solution will be the changing of their dark uniform but they need revolution of minds. They need to know that they’re disgracing themselves and the country with their disreputable acts on our roads. They need a paradigm shift in the way they think if all their thinking is all about money, money, money without defending the integrity of our Country.

It sickens me when I hear that we fight crime with Nigeria Police as is presently constituted, they are the real criminals, and we should do away with them.

What will you say of Inspector ‘Oluwaseunre Okechukwu Aminu’ who is the Chief and Protector of Armed Robbers (‘oludaabobo’, ‘agbode gba’, ‘baba isale’ awon ‘adigunjale’)? He has his own boys that operates at night in the State he oversees; they share the stolen goods at equal rate. Whenever any of his boys is caught and brought before him, he will free the person; does this man not constitute nuisance? If the Inspector is transferred to another State, his boys will follow him so that they can get their so-called divine protection from their Chief.

NB:

The above name doesn’t exist; it’s just my mere imagination but this is what is happening in our society and it requires an urgent attention before it gotten out of hand.

What future does a country like NIGERIA have where crime is also being perpetrated by our so-called Policemen? It is truly a sad development and tells of how we have truly failed as a Nation. Things have been this bad and it calls for urgent concern by our leaders.

One good man can alter the destiny of a Country and one bad man can ruin a Nation. So, we urgently need to Reform and Strengthen the Nigeria Police Force.

Reform the Nigeria Police Force Now!


Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria!
God Bless Nigeria!!
God Bless You All!!!



Oluwatomilola K. Boyinde.