SECURITY MATTERS: NEW IMPROVED FORCE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE DEPARTMENT (FCID) Investigations of criminal cases by the police are usually inconclusive. Perhaps, this could be due to lack of facilities and trained personnel to effectively carry out detailed investigation. It is just fair to say that the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID has performed abysmally in terms of wrapping up criminal cases. Unfortunately, this has been the practice over the years. There is plethora of criminal cases yet to be concluded by the police. Need I say that most of the criminal cases that had to do with armed robbery, assassination, kidnapping, fraud, vandalisation of public utilities, among others, are either swept under the carpet or left halfway? Perhaps, one disturbing factor about the lingering insecurity in the country today is the impunity at which people commit murder and other heinous crimes. Take for instance, the murder of comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the Principal Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State and Ugochukwu Ozua, who was murdered in Lagos, are few of the murder cases that readily come to mind. Of course, past experiences have revealed that Nigeria Police has not gotten it right when it comes to resolving criminal cases, especially murder. Besides the slow pace of investigation, most of the high profile murder cases have been swept under the carpet just because nobody is asking question. The murder that led to the deaths of Dele Giwa, Bola Ige, Harry Marshal, Engr. Funsho Williams, Dipo Dina, Moshood Abiola, Dr. Ayo Daramola, Chukwuma Ogbueli, Pa Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola, among others are clear indications that the police, saddled with the responsibility of unearthing these murderers, have not been able to leave up to expectation. Obviously, police seem to have lost touch with these high profile murder cases. One begins to wonder if it is a case of conspiracy or outright negligence. The annoying part of the whole saga is that these murder cases are as good as dead and forgotten. It appears that police are not proficient to effectively investigate murder not to talk of high profile murder cases. The capacity, resources and wherewithal of police to investigate murder cases is still in doubt. Members of the public have been venting their anger and frustration on this growing trend in the force. They have criticised and indeed condemned publicly the inability of police to effectively investigate and possibly wrap up investigation on record time. These growing frustrations have further dampened the spirit of Nigerians and make it difficult for members of the public to assist the police where possible. In such circumstance, police are fond of saying that investigations are ongoing when in actual fact nothing is happening. This unprofessional attitude has seriously eroded public trust and confidence in the police. However, with the renovation and equipping of the FCID with modern facilities, it is expected that investigation into crime would definitely rise above board. Police investigators and crack detectives now have better facilities and conducive environment to work and this should go a long way to prove their mettle. It must be stated that since the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar in January 2012, he has made some efforts in righting the wrongs not only in terms of police welfare, but also to equip officers and men in crime fighting and prevention. “When I took over the leadership of the force, part of my commitment and that of the police management was to improve on the general wellbeing of the workforce. The renovation of this complex is part of our commitment at ensuring that our officers and men discharge their responsibilities in a decent and conducive environment good enough to provide effective and efficient policing. “I therefore urge all personnel that would make use of the building and its facilities to make good use of it. I expect nothing less than the best henceforth. You have been provided a very conducive working environment and necessary tools to do your work and this must reflect in your mode of operations and activities,” the IGP charged. Therefore, it is now time to redeem its image that with the right environment and facilities, investigation can be seen not only be concluded, but be concluded at a reasonable time. Moreover, this laudable feat should be extended to all state Criminal Investigation Department, CIDs across the country. This ongoing transformation to re-brand the force for effective policing should be felt in all aspects of the Nigeria Police. It is also instructive to reiterate that special training on investigation should be on regular basis so that officers and men will be well abreast with modern techniques in investigation. This investigation must be both within and outside the country to ensure that those involved meet up with the world’s best standards. The result of not fishing out perpetrators of such dastardly act is that it would encourage people, who have the motive to commit crime to continue in that act knowing that there is the possibility of going scot-free. Perhaps, it gives the impression that the police are incapable of resolving not only murder cases, but other crimes as well. Worse still, victims would be left frustrated. There is no doubt that FCID is an integral part of the force and therefore should be accorded the right attention. It is high time criminals are brought to book for any offence committed. It should be stated clearly that the era where criminals commit crimes and go scot-free is over. This feat is certainly attainable only with the right funding and moral support for bother officers and men of the Nigeria Police.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 05:22:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015