Cry, The Beloved Police! - Politics - Nairaland
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| Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 10:29am On May 15, 2013 |
As I neared home on my way home yesterday, traffic slowed as a result of some obstructing danfos and a policeman crossed the road not far from the vehicle I was in. Somehow my eyes were riveted to this individual and I tracked his progress across the dividing lawn and across the other side of the dual-carriageway and on into a bank building where he seemed to have some business. A huge wave of sympathy overwhelmed me indescribably. It was a feeling so unexpected that I had to consciously stop and evaluate it. I simply felt sorry for the policeman! He wasn’t the most disheveled one I had ever seen, far from it. Except for a cap that sat a bit askew on his head and the slightly ill–fitting trousers, he looked averagely smart in his uniform. So there was more to this. Realization dawned slowly. Last week, the news broke all over the news about the yet-unresolved number of policemen that were literally slaughtered in an ambush, during an attempted anti-insurgency operation in some obscure part of Nasarawa state. Exaggerated or not, the casualty figure was catastrophic. The lives of scores of husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, nephews, cousins (I would not like to imagine there were mothers, sisters or aunties in that lot) – breadwinners all, were obliterated in an instant. Like animals! Yesterday, during a report on the incident, some pictures of the gory remains were telecast and in a newspaper publication, the number of slain men stood at 103! My mind flashed back to a report that was aired on Channels TV some time back and that trended all over social media for several weeks, on the dilapidated state of the Police College, Ikeja. The widespread outcry and public indignation over the facts that were uncovered was justifiable but till date I do not know if anything else, positive or otherwise came out of that incident. If we must be totally honest with ourselves, the Nigerian policeman is one of the most despised individuals in our society. His job is one of the most undesirable. Maybe was, if my facts are not up to date. But that has been the trend as far as I can remember. I haven’t had or I’ve rather tried not to have too many opportunities to interact with the police so as not to experience any of the various actions for which they are vilified. Of course, I had on several occasions, observed some unwholesome and/or questionable practices from a distance. But somehow, without personal evidence, I had subscribed howbeit mildly, to the public opinion about our Law Enforcers. I kept my distance from them and viewed all their activities and actions with suspicion, especially when they were in uniform and outside their station. Now that I think about it, I don’t know how this situation started or how it deteriorated this far. When and how did the police service acquire so much contempt and disrepute? Officers of the law ought to be revered. Their mere presence should inspire awe and respect, or at least dread for those who break the law. The Holy Book says that rulers (those who are empowered to enforce the law) are not a terror to good works, but to the evil and that if we do that which is good, they will commend us. In another quote, it also says that rulers are sent for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do well. So any upright, law-abiding citizen should have no need to fear an Officer of the Law. As a matter of fact, they should be welcomed and celebrated at every turn for the sacrifices they make on the job and the dangers they are subjected to in their attempts at maintaining a sane society. But this is not the case with the Nigerian police. Of course, with a background knowledge of the deplorable training conditions in the Police College, portrayed in the video report I referred to earlier, it’s a small wonder the caliber of officers being produced. How can a rundown, decrepit, ill-equipped, obviously underfunded institution with a morale-dousing learning environment produce well-groomed, balanced and motivated individuals, in whose hands we can entrust the enforcement of the guiding principles of our society!, except perhaps, by divine intervention or the rare, exceptionally optimistic and determined mind that rises above these debilitating effects and succeeds despite the odds. Officers are often criticized and labeled as being uneducated and ignorant. But these men volunteer for the service many literate others reject. So what do we expect? The system like many others in our society operates on a garbage-in, garbage-out protocol. If an effort is not made to bring these men up to date and transform them into the ideal prototype of a law enforcer, then we must live with the results. When Police reforms are spoken of, they seem so well meaning. While I am sure that plans are being effected to actualize the reforms, I am yet to see the effects on the average policeman in my neighbourhood. On a side note and at risk of sounding ignorant, I wonder why the new police uniform scheme that was announced a while back has not been fully implemented across the outfit. I’ve only see it on television, usually worn by the higher cadre officers and very rarely have I seen one up close. The all-black ‘thingy’ has not helped the reputation of the Force. The connotations of the black colour and its supposed correlation with the disrepute in which the Police Service is held, has been the subject of many jokes in Nigeria. As the details of what happened in Nasarawa on Tuesday, the 7th unfold, I am not so interested in the whys and wherefores, as with the human lives that were so cheaply obliterated. This is not a question of what fabrics they wore or what mission they were on but of the unfortunate numbers, so unappreciated whose only reward might be a moment of silence… I hope there will be more than that though. Perhaps, some of the more revolutionary, well-intended reforms will be forced into implementation. Perhaps, honour will once more be restored to the Service. Perhaps, it will once more be a thing of pride to be a police officer. Perhaps, as a result, we will encounter police officers on the road and wholeheartedly salute them, motivated not by dread of the trouble they can manipulate you into but by deep respect. Maybe… I hope. I pray. I believe. 1 Like |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by byteem: 11:49am On May 15, 2013 |
FEEL SORRY? ... OOKK FEEL SORRY FOR THE THOUSANDS THEY HAVE INDISCRIMINATELY SHOT AND KILLED FOR VERY INSANE REASONS .. FEEL SORRY FOR THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN PRISONS AWAITING TRIAL BASED ON MERE SUSPICIONS AND CONCORTED CHARGES.. FEEL SORRY FOR THE INTIMIDATION AND BRUTALITY METED OUT ON THE CITIZENS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT... SHOULD WE GO ON.. OFF COURSE WE FEEL SORRY FOR SOME MEN WHO WITHOUT PROPER INTELLIGENCE WENT ON ALL OUT WAR AGAINST A GROUP OF PEOPLE BASED ON THE POLITICAL SENTIMENTS OF A GOVERNOR.. YEAH FEEL SORRY FOR THE THOUSANDS THAT HAVE BEEN RENDERED FATHERLESS DUE TO THE JUDGE AND JURY ROLE PLAYED BY A FEW MEN WHO CALL THEM SELVES GOD ..FEEL SORRY FOR A BUNCH OF SNAKES WHO HAVE NO VALUE FOR HUMAN LIVES AND DIGNITY..FEEL SORRY FOR A OCCULT RIDDEN COMMUNITY FILLED WITH SADISTS, BITTER AND MALICIOUS CRIMINALS. DOES ILLITERACY BECOME AN EXCUSE FOR ARROGANCE AND VILE WICKEDNESS AGAINST CITIZENS IN THE NAME OF LAW ENFORCEMENT? WAKE UP..THE AVERAGE NIGERIAN FEELS NO PITY OR REMORSE FOR THE NIGERIAN POLICE .. .. AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED .. MAY MORE MEET THEIR WATERLOO.. AND MAY THEY PAY FOR THE SINS THEY HAVE COMMITTED AGAINST FAMILIES AND DESTINIES OF NIGERIANS .. CALL IT RETRIBUTION.. BUT THE HATRED IS DEEP.. THEY ARE JUST SNAKES WE MUST LIVE WITH .. BLACK, POISONOUS ONES AT THAT .. 2 Likes |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 12:21pm On May 15, 2013 |
byteem: FEEL SORRY? ... OOKK FEEL SORRY FOR THE THOUSANDS THEY HAVE INDISCRIMINATELY SHOT AND KILLED FOR VERY INSANE REASONS .. FEEL SORRY FOR THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN PRISONS AWAITING TRIAL BASED ON MERE SUSPICIONS AND CONCORTED CHARGES.. FEEL SORRY FOR THE INTIMIDATION AND BRUTALITY METED OUT ON THE CITIZENS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT... SHOULD WE GO ON.. OFF COURSE WE FEEL SORRY FOR SOME MEN WHO WITHOUT PROPER INTELLIGENCE WENT ON ALL OUT WAR AGAINST A GROUP OF PEOPLE BASED ON THE POLITICAL SENTIMENTS OF A GOVERNOR.. YEAH FEEL SORRY FOR THE THOUSANDS THAT HAVE BEEN RENDERED FATHERLESS DUE TO THE JUDGE AND JURY ROLE PLAYED BY A FEW MEN WHO CALL THEM SELVES GOD ..FEEL SORRY FOR A BUNCH OF SNAKES WHO HAVE NO VALUE FOR HUMAN LIVES AND DIGNITY..FEEL SORRY FOR A OCCULT RIDDEN COMMUNITY FILLED WITH SADISTS, BITTER AND MALICIOUS CRIMINALS. I sincerely appreciate your point of view. To the italicized question, I say 'NO!'. I have once like the average Nigerian you mentioned, felt as you described, even if not as vehemently. But the fact remains that they are: 1. Humans, with flesh and blood, as everyone else. 2. Nigerians, groomed in and by the same society that condemns them, not aliens imported from another planet or continent. 3. Sinners like everyone else. They don't deserved to pay greater wages than the average citizen. 4. They have families as well. They also work to provide for them. 5. If being a policeman is a curse and the service has far outgrown its usefulness, can we deal with the alternate reality - a nation without law enforcers? 6. If they are Sadists, bitter and malicious criminals, we need to ask ourselves how they came to be that way. These are the lines along which I reason. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by Zinosalexander(m): 9:34am On May 17, 2013 |
Chiarman, no vex. The police had it coming. E be like the police way i day c 4 naija no be the same police na im you day c. No come here come day play devils advocate. I knw the part of dont pay evil for evil, but police own too much. If ombatse no do them strong tin, you for hear say them beat people anyhw. Why dont you start a thread on the worst experience anyone has had with a policeman b4 you start to feel pity for them. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 11:26am On May 17, 2013 |
Zinosalexander: Chiarman, no vex. The police had it coming. E be like the police way i day c 4 naija no be the same police na im you day c. No come here come day play devils advocate. I knw the part of dont pay evil for evil, but police own too much. If ombatse no do them strong tin, you for hear say them beat people anyhw. Thanks for sharing your opinion on the matter. I don't deny the fact that the character of the Police may suit many and more of the colourful and creative descriptions that people come up with. However, I prefer to always think in terms of Solutions, the-way-forward. I'd rather not wait to experience Police brutality first hand before I begin to consider how it could have been prevented or avoided. Heck, it's one of the questions I ask myself when I think about the kind of society I would want my children to grow up in? What can we do to change the situation besides labelling them with all manner of names and preserving curses for thier fourth generation of descendants? This is my postulation. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by tpia5: 11:29am On May 17, 2013 |
I think you should worry about the curses heaped on your own head, before worrying about police. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 11:55am On May 17, 2013 |
tpia@: How do you mean,please? |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by Zinosalexander(m): 5:21pm On May 17, 2013 |
The solution is easy. Policing the police. What do i mean? The police should have a department that makes sure the police do not abuse the power vested on them. This department should also make sure that indicipline is not tolerated in the police force. The military have such departments: the air police, naval police and military police. If a policeman harases you should be able to report such a policeman. I could give you a sermon, but in a sentence, police the police 1 Like |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 6:15pm On May 17, 2013 |
^ Now you're talking, bro. By the way, I saw a post on your blog that referred to the issue of police brutality. For the record, a gun-toting policeman is as bad and even worse than a bomb-carrying terrorist. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by KnowAll(m): 6:42pm On May 17, 2013 |
The Nigerian police are attack dogs(more wolfish than doggish thus!!! ;  ) their modus operendi is to overkill once they see, sight or observe any sign of weekness on their intended prey. I watched some opportunistic Big cats in action in d Serengeti in Tanzania, there were these band of lions called the "wandering or solo lions" their very existence is anchored on opportunity, they will never ever attack a fully grown buffalo, antelope or zebra, but once they spot a prey with a bad leg, or limbs they exercise patience following the prey until such a time the prey becomes tired, exhauxted and dis-connected from the herd, it is then they strike. The modus operendi of these lions remind me of the Nigerian Police.  The Nigerian Police were informed in Nassarawa State that, they were going into d forest to pick up an old tribal priest, I bet d 103 men who met their Waterloo in that revered forest never thought of the risk factor a day b4, they probably thought it would be one of those run-in-the -mill operations not like while-wind, avalanche of destruction that they met. Some would still be wondering how they landed in heaven or hell(mostly likely hell because nothing good can ever come out of the Nigerian Police) but I am sure the good lord will and maybe our dear devil would laugh and mock them for the fools they have been, I bet he would also ridicule them by announcing to them their debacle was his own making, and that at least he has achieved his primary goal of bring them to their true home. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by lastpage: 9:26pm On May 17, 2013 |
nu-well: First, l understand where you are coming from: How to solve the "problem". But the thing is, "The problem or those benefiting from the problem, DONT WANT IT SOLVED"! The Police are no different from the 'general' Nigerian malaise-culture of IMPUNITY. We might be seeing less of soldiers impunity nowadays (and reason some erroneously think they should come back!) but its the same "l am Lord unto myself ONLY behavior" that made them hated, that the Police have perfected. Honestly, l cannot find words to describe a Nigerian Policeman/woman! The Devil himself must be green with envy, when he sees the dossier of a Nigerian Policeman. They do their evil in ways that makes you wonder whether they have A SOUL at all? Nigeria is Corrupt, even bad, (politicians are thieves, the populace are corrupt, cowardly and not trustworthy )... but the Nigerian Police, being the CUSTODIAN OF THE SOCIETY, have taken CRIMINALITY AND BRUTALITY to enviable heights! If my best friend joins the Police today, l would avoid him like a plague! If my father or my son joins the Nigerian Police farce today, l will move away very far from them as well. As a FRIEND, they are TREACHEROUS! ...... As an ENEMY, they are more POISONOUS than a VIPER SNAKE!! Like you observed, 'They are HUMANS/NIGERIANS like every one of us but l think when they join the Police... (from the kind of Training/Abuse they receive at their Police college, to the inculcation they get from their 'senior colleagues' in the Police farce).. l think their "soul and milk-of-human" are taken away from them. What is left is just a vile and devilish carcass, in a Police Uniform. [b]*I have experienced their Brutality, as a 15 yr old student, as a University undergraduate (Alli Must Go perioda and onwards!), l have seen their wickedness during the IBB shoot at site riots in Lagos, l have seen them "plant" guns on the innocent, l have seen them destroyed the life of a young man who was just taking "fresh air" in front of his door (in his house) by arresting him for WANDERING! He was later labeled an armed robber! *I have witnessed Police giving (renting) guns to armed robbers .....do you ever wonder why the Police ALWAYS ARRIVE when the armed robbers have killed and gone away, only to arrest innocent by-standers? *I have seen nigerian Police officers "turn-over the statement of a victim" to the accused, coaching him on how to "counter it" and render it unprosecutable! I have first hand experience of Nigerian Police "forcing a victim" on what to write in his statement, under threat of a gun!  *I have seen Police cause accident (by blocking part of the road with logs of wood) at CHECKPOINTS only to RUN AWAY once the accident happened! They dont even have the courtesy to "assist the wounded' to a Hospital! That is how DEVILISH they are. I have heard of how they "rob dying accident victims"! The NIGERIAN POLICE IS SATAN'S ORGANISATION ON EARTH![/b] ...and yet, they are funded with our TAX, our sweat! Just imagine? Did Police I.G Ehindero not parade innocent people as the killer of former Attorney general Bola Ige (RIP) when he knew they were not his killers? How much deceitful can a "human-being" be? What about that Mike Okiro? Tafa Balogun nko? Lastpage! Continued below... |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by lastpage: 9:27pm On May 17, 2013 |
Look, you can write a ten thousand page book about these scoundrels called Nigerian Police. Finally, as for "SOLUTIONS", it's always been ON THE TABLE: DISBAND THIS CRIMINAL ORGANISATION AND LETS START FROM SCRATCH. No more, No less! The Nigerian Police of today is made-up of CRIMINALS AND PEOPLE OF QUESTIONABLE CHARACTER, AT BEST! They are BITTER, VENGEFUL, SADISTIC AND ANGRY PEOPLE. How can you give "power of life and death" to 'animals' with such mentality? 1.) Make the "minimum entry level" to be a University Graduate 2.) Do thorough twenty years BACKGROUND CHECKS on such recruits (Go "secretly" to all the addresses they've lived, carry their pictures along and interview people who know them). Go to their former schools, interview their Teachers/Lecturers and build a profile of who they are) 3.) DO psychological evaluation for then 'cos most of them are serial Killers and psychotic substance abusers masquerading as Police officers! 4.) Re-organize their "training curricula" to lay more emphasis on HELPING THE POPULACE, rather than "ENFORCING" criminality (law!) through the use of excessive force 5.) Train them to enforce the law through use of other non-lethal means, other than "gunning down somebody". Only "Special Response Unit Officers" must carry weapons in their vehicle holds. To be used only in extreme circumstance when public safety is in grave danger 6.) Set-Up a Police Ombudsman Body: A very independent and independently funded body, that is answerable only to the House of Assembly, peopled by Intelligence Officers from other security apparatus like the Army, SSS, NAVY and the Civil Public (Never include a Policeman!), with powers to investigate, try and sentence where necessary, complaints against serving/retired Police officers. This body should be well-funded, well-kitted and must discharge its responsibility within a "short span" of time 7.) Develop a robust pay-structure/condition of service for members of the Police, which reflects the nature and danger associated with their work (Subsidized accommodation, higher than average pay-slips, free medical health, insurance, free and standard Police kits with bullet proof for frontline officers, good retirement benefits, to be paid within a month of retirement!, e.t.c) Infact, make it a "VERY BIG LOSS" if someone is dismissed from the Police (like people working in banks or Oil companies!), make the job so attractive and competitive that ONLY THE BEST is attracted to it and only the best are recruited! 8.) Finally, take then through modern courses in Police duty; Use of Modern Technologies like CCTV, Tracking, Keylogging, Surveillance techniques, Human psychology for profiling, sciences, infiltration, e.t.c. Just about anything to make them use their God-given "SENSES" instead of their WEAPONS! All l have written above is NOT NEW or unbeknown to the POLICE HIERARCHY but hey, if you implement these things, WHERE WILL THE EGUNJE AND POWER DRUNKENNESS/ABUSE COME FROM? Where would Tafa Balogun for example, see the Billions he looted from the Police Force? Where would the "Friday-friday" Cash delivery to DPO come from? This is the quagmire Nigerians have found themselves, vis-a-vis NIGERIA POLICE 'FARCE' Lastpage! You wanted "solutions", now you got them! ....what are you gonna do with them or about them?  1 Like |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by YoshiMaster: 9:56pm On May 17, 2013 |
lastpage: Dude what about one of the most important thins, their salary? I vote for 150K minimum salary per month for the typical policeman |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by lastpage: 9:36am On May 18, 2013 |
Yoshi-Master: l did touch on their salary in point #7, as quoted below: Lastpage: It means good salary comparable to what is obtainable in banks, Oil Coys and Telecoms industry. Minimum should not be less than 200K. Lastpage! |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by tpia5: 9:50am On May 18, 2013 |
Yet when the aluu four were being murdered, it was the police begging nigerians not to kill those boys. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 10:58am On May 18, 2013 |
Wow! Lastpage, you've surely given this matter a lot of thought. All things being equal, this plan looks like the blueprint for evolving the dream law enforcement agency. Let's not stop believing, bro. I believe that if solution thinkers and providers like you and I can link up, form a network of hope, make a blaze out of our distinct candlelights and ignite other like-minded, nothing is impossible. We will yet make a difference. Great work, Sir |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 11:07am On May 18, 2013 |
Oops, I guess in the light of your post, I shouldn't call them law enforcers anymore. |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by nuwell(m): 11:13am On May 18, 2013 |
tpia@: Tpia@, None of us, least of all me, is happy with the situation not just with the police, but with so many things in Nigeria. But I won't sit down and sulk. I'll find out what to do and how to do it, and then do it. That's the point of threads such as this. Be encouraged |
| Re: Cry, The Beloved Police! by lastpage: 6:46am On May 20, 2013 |
nu-well: Sir, It is one thing to "know what to do or to be pointed in the right direction" .. ..it is another thing to have the "willingness to do what is right". They say "you can forcefully take a horse to the river but you cant FORCE IT to drink one drop of water"! You and i are not in a position to change the Police structure, we can only "volunteer our ideas" but from my own experience, l think the "Nigerian System" is not yet ready for a change! Its all about those who benefit from the current "state of anarchy". They will resist any form of positive change and believe me, when you fight corruption (the type we have right now), it fights back powerfully ... and they have the resources (looted funds) to fight back! This and many more suggestions are in the "public domain", if the I.G or any other person in a position to reform the Police wants or needs them, let him TAKE THEM and make good use of them! No be today o!  Cheers. Lastpage! |
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