We had thought that the personnel of the Nigerian Police Force would have learnt some lessons from the EndSARS protests of 2020. It was the year police brutality, intimidation and extortion of innocent citizens came to its zenith with the killing of a young man in Delta State. This sparked massive protests against the now defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Many police stations were burnt. Scores of policemen lost their lives. Public and private property was also destroyed.
Nevertheless, it appears that some policemen are yet to imbibe the lessons from those unfortunate incidents. Recently, three policemen – Inspector Adejoh Siaka, Inspector Friday Obaka and Sergeant Ndiwa Kpuebari – were arrested for flogging and slapping a civilian on the road in Rivers State. According to the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the officers would face orderly room trial. Describing their action as barbaric, Adejobi wonders “how a man, a reasonable man, would be flogging or slapping a grown-up man in that manner.”
Last month, the Plateau State Police Command similarly arrested Inspector Solomon Damark for shooting one Mr Nyommena Salah Badapba in the Tudun Wada area of Jos North Local Government Area of the state. The command also recovered his firearm and detained him for disciplinary action. It said the disciplinary process would not be compromised and that the outcome would be made public.
In August last year, the Nigeria Police Force dismissed an officer, Liyomo Okoi, caught in a viral video beating a man with a cutlass in Cross River State on July 31, 2022, for gross misconduct. In a statement, the FPRO, Adejobi, said the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, frowned on the reports of brutality and extortion being levelled against some police officers. The police boss, he said, had ordered a holistic overhauling of the Intelligence Response Team, the Special Tactical Squad and the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) units to ensure maximum effectiveness and output and rid the units of negative elements who deviate from the standard operating procedure of the Nigeria Police Force. The IGP reportedly pledged his commitment to ethical regeneration and dedication to entrenching human rights-driven policing within the country.
We commend the police authorities for taking prompt actions against erring policemen. Being in the force does not give anybody the authority to misbehave or take the law into his hands. There are standard operating procedures policemen are supposed to adhere to in dealing with the citizens. If anyone commits a civil offence, the police are empowered to arrest the person within the ambits of the law. If need be, the person will be charged to court.
Police brutality has persisted because of poor orientation. Some policemen believe that because they have guns, they can lord it over civilians with impunity. They forget that some of the people they maltreat are their employers whose taxes are used to pay their salaries. They forget that they are paid to protect and not to brutalise the people.
The recruitment process in the force is seemingly a problematic factor. It is doubtful if background checks are conducted on the personnel of the force before they are recruited. Some of them join the force for lack of jobs. Some are likely to be past criminals who thrive on breaking the law instead of enforcing it.
Besides, frustration could lead one to behave abnormally. Some of these policemen are frustrated and angry with the system. Some of them have remained on one rank or position for years. Some are angry with their poor condition of service. They, therefore, vent their anger on innocent citizens.
It is pertinent to note that police brutality does not happen only in Nigeria. Even in civilised countries like the United States, police occasionally resort to bullying the citizens. Last January, five United States police officers were charged with beating a 29-year-old black man, Tyre Nichols, to death in Memphis. Nichols was reportedly stopped on January 7 for reckless driving. He was brutalised and taken to hospital in critical condition where he later died on January 10. In May 2020, a white police officer also killed a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis, US. This sparked outrage and riots across the US then.
The best way to curb the menace is to arrest and diligently prosecute whoever is involved in the act of brutalising the people. When security personnel know that they will pay dearly for any infraction committed in the course of their duties, they will obey the rules of engagement.
Section 37 of the Nigerian Police Act 2020 stipulates that a suspect shall be accorded humane treatment and not be subjected to any form of torture or degrading treatment. The Act provides for a more effective and well-organised police force anchored on efficiency, transparency and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In all, there should be mental, background and psychological checks to ascertain the eligibility of anyone aspiring to join the police force. Also, there is need for regular training and reorientation of the personnel of the force for optimum performance. Let law enforcement agencies improve on their human rights records and the rule of law.