Early in the 1980s when a policeman shot dead Dele Udoh, an athlete, many thought it was an aberration. But the death of the Dawodu brothers in the hands of a trigger happy police corporal, which sparked off a series of riots on Lagos Island in 1987, was no happenstance. It was no coincidence either. It was definitely premeditated murder.

In recent times, death of innocent citizens in the hands of the very people employed to protect them has become alarming. Very few of these killer cops have been brought to book. These days Nigerian policemen routinely kill innocent citizens, usually over trivial issues. The trend is disturbing, disheartening and something needs to be done to stem this drift into lawlessness.

It is becoming an acceptable norm that policemen may kill suspects, usually under vague excuses of torture whole obtaining statements or through the usual accidental discharge.

The list of extra-judicial killings is endless and the Nigeria Police Force is now looked upon as harbingers of sorrow.

Police often kill suspects and tag them as ‘armed robbers’ just to cover up their crime. They fear nobody, not even the courts of law.

On Monday 28 July, 2008, the Nigerian Tribune reported the killing of a commuter bus driver who failed to pay policemen at a check-point the required N20 settlement. The driver, the paper stated, fell down while trying to flee, but the police chased, caught him, and hit his chin on the ground. He sustained a head injury that later led to his.

In February 2001, Corporal Rabiu Bello, attached to the Kaduna State Criminal Investigations Department (CID) demanded that a young apprentice, identified as Halisu Salau Agaba, bring him a stick of cigarette. It was alleged that Bello shot Agaba because the latter could not afford to buy the stick of cigarette (TheNews magazine 30-04-2001).

Most of the time, overzealous policemen behave as if there are no laws that guide their conduct. In 2003, when Mr. Tafa Balogun was the Inspector General of Police, a group, Concerned Youth Alliance (CYA) held a peaceful protest in Abuja, a day before the arrival of President George Bush to Nigeria. The protest was to express their disappointment over the widespread fraud that accompanied the 2003 elections, and to highlight various civil rights violations by the Nigeria Police Force.

At about 8.30 a.m on that day, eleven heavily armed policemen, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, arrested the coordinator of the group and dragged him to the police headquarters where he was taken to then IGP, Balogun. He was consequently detained at Zone 3, Abuja, for 15 days.

Crime Watch investigations revealed that Nigerian policemen routinely resort to disproportionate and illegal use of lethal force during the course of their duties, while some of them have been adequately trained in the use of firearms, the basic capacity to cope with the so many challenges and poorly remunerated.

The new Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo on 18 September reportedly expressed concern over the attitude of some of his men to human lives.

Two bad incidents led to this. Miss Amanda Ukunwagho 32, was reportedly killed in police custody in Benin City. The second one, Kenneth Umuna, 32 became deaf and dumb and could no longer walk after honouring an invitation by Gabasawa Police Station, Kaduna State, following a quarrel between him and his neighbour.

Still in Benin City, along the Mission Road, a commercial motorcyclist was killed after he traded words with a policeman attached to the Mission Road branch of a new generation bank.

Even the former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, openly admitted that about 785 suspected “armed robbers” were shot and killed between June and the beginning of September 2007, while exchanging gun fire with policemen. He disclosed this to the House of Representatives Police Affairs Committee while highlighting his ‘achievements’ within the first three months in office.

On 30 September, 2008 at about 2.30 am, Bayo Awosika, a promising banker, was shot by some callous policemen while driving home in his Kia Optima car with registration number 529 AAA. He was murdered at the Lekki roundabout, Lagos and the body was found the following day.

When his elder brother, Biodun Awosika, got to the scene, he wept uncontrollably upon sighting the lifeless body of his sibling. But, upon closer examination of the body, he disagreed that his brother was involved in an accident as claimed by the police. While there were neither business nor scratches on the body of the deceased, his skull had been perforated by bullets.

Bayo became another statistic in the thousands of extra-judicial killings by the men in black. Sadly only few of these killer cops have been brought to book. The police hierarchy promises to investigate the incidents and most of the time, it comes to naught.

On 1 September, 2009, the family of Yusuff Omole Oladipo was thrown into mourning. A policeman identified as Sergeant Olowojoyin Abolade, attached to Iponri Divisional Police Station, shot and killed Yussuff, who had quarrelled with him.

The trigger-happy police Sergeant reportedly shot his victim at about 10.30 p.m at Ademuyiwa junction, Apapa Road, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. It was alleged that the cop killed Yusuff in order to please his lover, identified as Madam Theresa, who sells cooked food and resides in the area.

Eyewitnesses said the food seller had on Wednesday told her policeman lover that she and Yusuff had a quarrel.

The killer cop, it was learnt, was not on duty on the day of the incident but he was reported to have searched all nooks and crannies of Apapa road, looking for the deceased.

When Sergeant Olowojoyin found him in company of his friends, he made an effort to arrest him but Yusuff resisted and Olowojoyin reportedly shot him in the neck. When the killer realised he had murdered Yusuff, he shot into the air sporadically to prevent being mobbed, and made good his escape.

On Saturday, 26 September, a 30-year old man, Dele Sodipo, was shot dead by a policeman identified as Monday. The killer cop was attached to Iju Divisional Police Station (Red House) Iju-Ishaga.

Dele was shot in the leg and died in the hospital from loss of blood occasioned by the gunshot injury.

According to sympathisers, Rose, the lady who allegedly caused the problem, was dating Sodipo and when they broke up she started dating Monday. Both men were said to be regular patrons of Rose’ hot drink (paraga) joint.

Trouble started when Rose reported Dele to Monday, complaining of an alleged assault. Monday reportedly mobilized other policemen, including Cletus his friend, to arrest Dele. He was shot during the struggle that ensued.

Speaking on the issue, Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba told Crime Watch that the killing of Nigerians by policemen is rather unfortunate. “Basically, the position of the police is simple. The police have standard rules before engaging an unarmed person in combat.

“All these rules are properly spelt out in the Nigerian Police Force Order Cap 224. If you have been following the trend, if a policeman uses his arms in a manner that is not consistent with these rules such a policeman is usually subjected to thorough investigation and if found guilty will be dismissed and charged to a court of law. We have done this in the past,” Mba explained.

“For instance, in the cases of the policemen from Iponri and Iju-Ishaga divisions, the two policemen have been arrested and transferred to the SCID, Panti, Yaba for necessary action.

“We will not tolerate any kind of senseless killing. Police are fundamentally charged with the responsibility of protecting human lives and properties. It will amount to contradiction for any policeman charged with these responsibilities to act contrary to it.

“That explains why once there is a reported case of killing by any policeman, we will take it up very seriously.

“The job of policing is serious business. People will provoke, attack, mob, and even disarm you. But we have started the process of training and re-training some of our officers so as to enable them to cope psychologically. Finally, note that our mission statement is zero tolerance for crime,” said the PPRO.



http://thepmnews.com/2009/12/03/extra-judicial-killings-how-police-routinely-waste-lives

These things don't end. Our police can be inept. Remember Ayinde Bakare? What has happened to that investigation? Dele Giwa?

Just heard of this story today

Thanks

Their atrocities started many years ago,