Helping the police to help us Are the police your friend? I bet not many Lagos residents will be too quick to answer in the affirmative. Given their bitter experiences in the hands of police officers, many victims of police brutality would prefer to dine with the men in black with the proverbial long spoon of the devil. From extrajudicial killings to illegal arrests and detention to brazen extortion, what crime have the police not committed against Nigerians? Men of the Nigerian Police Force have cut short many promising lives while explaining it away as accidental discharge. With the police, a once promising life could be made ‘’brief, short and brutish’’. People have been shot for the most bizarre of reasons and in very odd circumstances- a man was reportedly shot three days to his wedding. Another was alleged to have been sent to the great beyond a week after his wedding. Recently, it was reported in The PUNCH that a boy returning home on holiday from Canada saw his life brutally cut short by police bullet. Motorists have been similarly killed for failing to give bribes at checkpoints. Women have become widows overnight. Many of the heinous crimes are perpetually being investigated. Some just get swept under the carpet. However, there are also good cops out there, except that the bad eggs outnumber honest officers. Last week, I wrote about how the police in Lagos illegally round up innocent residents and force them to part with money in exchange for freedom. Many residents have fallen victim of the brutality that makes the Nigerian police notorious. But illegal arrests, extortion and detention of the innocents are nothing new. Newspaper reports and human rights organisations continue to document the heinous activities of the men in uniform. A few days ago, I was again confronted by the criminality of police officers in Lagos. On Friday, September 27, 2013, I had been on a visit to a friend whose house is a short distance from Area G Command, Ogba in ikeja, Lagos. I had set out early to beat the traffic on Isheri Road leading to Ogba. But I was not lucky enough because I still got caught up in the long line of traffic stretching several kilometres. At a point in the journey, the slow moving traffic came to standstill. As we sat in traffic, a scene that attracted a small but growing crowd played out. A pedestrian had been accosted by another man who had suddenly alighted from a commercial bus in front of mine. After a brief discussion, their conversation soon snowballed into a heated argument. The man who had alighted earlier from the bus attempted to drag the pedestrian into the moving bus. But the latter stood his ground. In a flash, two other men, spotting black polo t-shirts with the word, ‘’Police’, inscribed on the back alighted from the same commercial bus. They attempted to drag the man into their bus. He resisted. He vehemently protested his innocence. Then a struggle broke out. Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered. But the watching crowd decided to stay off the matter when one of the men flashed an identity card said to be that of the police and a third man bearing a riffle with a black police t-shirt joined the chaos. Seeing the rifle, the pedestrian became scared. He did not resist as he was eventually bundled into the moving bus. The crowd quickly dispersed. Who would blame them? Residents are wise enough not to get involved in what is now infamously known as “police case” in which case they can be framed up for a crime they know nothing about. Then, the traffic began its slow movement towards Ogba again. After the witnessing the brief encounter, I became curious. As our bus moved behind the “police bus,” I decided to observe the occupants more closely. There were a few other men in the bus. Had they also been arrested for ‘’wandering’’? I wondered loudly. I wanted to also know where the bus was headed. As we crawled in the traffic, I took note of the bus’ number plate. It was a yellow painted commercial bus with number plate, XJ 313 EPE. As they continued to make more arrests along the way, I suspected it was hired by the renegade officers for illegal raids. I was later proved right. The young man who was earlier ‘’arrested’’ hopped down a short distance from where he was accosted. He then disappeared into a side street. A few minutes later, two other men came out of the bus. It was then I concluded that the men in the bus were police officers on an illegal duty. I also suspected that they had made a few other raids before the first arrest I witnessed. A few minutes after the three men alighted from the bus, it slowed down again near the Excellence Hotel, Ogba. Two ‘’officers’’ came out. The one with “police” written on his t-shirt aggressively approached two young men strolling along the street. With his rifle in one hand, he grabbed one of the men. His colleague went for the other. They demanded to search the large brown bag held by one of the men. The men demanded to know why they were being searched. When they flashed their “identity cards”, their protests died out. They were quickly herded into the bus. Surprisingly, nobody was interested in what was going on. People were eager to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. All the while, the door of the bus was left open. Two more stops and two more arrests, the bus finally arrived in front of Area G Command and stopped. Police officers mill around the place. By this time, I had alighted from my unmarked taxi. My driver even told me policemen from the command were notorious for indiscriminate arrests and extortion. He said it is worse at night. Earlier, two of the men who were earlier arrested soon regained their freedom. I guessed they had been able to “settle” their way out of trouble. As the bus pulled to a stop in front of the command, two “officers” came down and entered the station. A moment later, they reappeared with another “officer” who entered the bus as it negotiated a bend to a side street. After a brief lull, each ‘’suspect’’ was let go one after the other. I watched as the bus drove out again, perhaps to begin another round of illegal raid. It is possible for the Area G Command to deny the existence of the criminal activities some officers attached to the command. But Ogba residents are aware of their nefarious activities. Why did the bus stop in front of the Area G Command? Why did another policeman from the station join those already in the bus and eventually went on another raid with them? I was later told that the command is notorious as a hub for illegal raiding, extortion and harassment in Ogba area. Can the Area Commander claim not know about the illegal activities of police officers in the command? If he does not, then it is high time he investigated those who illegally go on illegal raids under his command. I still wonder why police officers in Lagos wear mufti and ride around town in commercial buses. How can residents possibly identify these men as police officers? It was difficult for me to know the identity of the officers on illegal raid. Aside from the t-shirts with the word ‘’police’’ inscribed on them, there were no other means of identification. Even when I entered the premises of the command, there were too many officers in mufti. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, must pay close attention to the nefarious activities of police officers in Lagos. That is the only way the police in the state can be our friend. And that is the best way to help the police perform their duties well.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:39:24 +0000
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