The perception of the Nigerian police officer as someone that cannot be trusted dates back to the very foundation of the Nigerian police force. Before Nigeria?s independence in 1960, the number of enlightened and educated Nigerians was very minimal and the few privileged elementary school graduates had dreams that were much bigger than becoming a policeman or woman. So, officers were recruited from among illiterate natives and they saw themselves as the white man?s tool for oppression of their fellow citizens.
After Nigeria?s independence, efforts were made by the first set of the country?s indigenous leadership to correct the perception of the police officer by the public as an enemy. The efforts were however short-lived as frequent military regimes that started from 1966 only furthered the mentality of oppression.
Furthermore, the conduct of police officers in relationship with the public over the years has simply reflected the rate at which corruption level grew in the entire country.??The method of recruitment never helped matters. A young man who refused to go to school; troubled people in his community by stealing their yams and goats as well as fighting and raping people, was simply referred to a high ranking uncle in the force for recruitment. Bribery and corruption was a way of life in the police and based on public knowledge of these facts, people with integrity were reluctant to identify with the police and unwilling to offer useful information to the force.
Then, came the slogan:??The Police Is Your Friend??as part of measures by the federal government to restore public confidence in Nigeria police. However, pushing the vision in this slogan down the psyche of the rank and file was a very herculean task.
With time, the growing rate of unemployment in the country forced university graduates to start scrambling for the job of a police man or woman. Many did not join the police out of passion for security. They enlisted in the force just to guarantee their daily bread.
The restoration of civil democratic rule in 1999 broadened the psychological environment for restoration of public confidence in the Nigerian police. Since then, several notable attempts have been made by the authorities to change the orientation of officers and men.
The functions of the Nigeria Police as spelt out in Police Act P19, Laws of the Federation are crime prevention, detection and apprehension of offenders, preservation of law and order and protection of life and property. Other functions are the enforcement of all laws and regulations enacted by the federal, state and local governments and performance of such military duties within or outside Nigeria when sanctioned by law.
Although public perception of the police has posed a serious challenge to the force in the execution of its functions over the years, the conduct of most police personnel has only further contributed to the lost confidence of the public.
On assumption of duty as Inspector General Of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar while addressing senior police officers in the country admitted that: ?Justice has been perverted, people?s rights denied, innocent souls committed to prison, torture and extra-judicial killings perpetrated and so many people are arbitrarily detained in our cells because they cannot afford the illegal bail monies we demand. Illegalities thrive under your watchful eyes because you have compromised the very soul of our profession. Our respect is gone and the Nigerian public has lost even the slightest confidence in the ability of the police to do any good thing.?
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke recently pointed accusing fingers at the police regarding human rights violations and extra-judicial killings. In his address on December 10, 2012 to mark the International Human Rights Day, he declared that about 7,195 cases of extra-judicial killing were recorded within the last four years and that 2,000 of the victims were detainees.
To restore public confidence in the police therefore, there is need for Nigeria police personnel to minimize the rate at which they violate human rights while executing their duties and become more conscious of public perception of the force.
One major challenge before the Nigeria police is that there is a carry-over of the old public perception of the typical Nigeria police man and woman. The use of members of the public who might have had encounters with good people in the force for testimonial advertorials, could help to restore the desired level of public confidence in the force.??In this regard, a closer collaboration with the media will be helpful. The improved communication and direct access to leadership of the force by members of the public in recent months is also commendable.
There is corruption in virtually every segment of the Nigerian society but because police personnel have direct contact with various members of the public on a daily basis, their unacceptable acts of indiscipline are exhibited before the full glare of members of the public. Deleting incidents of bribes collection with impunity by uniformed men from one?s memory could be difficult. However, the successful dismantling of police checkpoints across the country and increase in the pay of the lowest ranking officer to N50,000 per month are commendable measures recently taken by the police authorities to make police personnel live up to public expectations in terms of conduct and performance.
The approach by police personnel to the implementation of the new traffic laws on behalf of??various state governments, especially those that affect commercial motorcycles, does not help the image-building efforts of the current Inspector General. Operators of commercial motorcycles popularly known as?Okada?are being indiscriminately attacked, beaten and injured by police officers in the name of traffic law implementation. This is human rights violation and needs to be checked.
The issues surrounding recruitment process should be addressed. To minimize insider threat to security and recruit the right people into the force, there is a need for a review in the recruitment procedures, which must be devoid of corrupt practices such as bribery. Although the recently reported decision by the force to stop recruiting SSCE holders will help to reduce knowledge inadequacies in the system, no one should be recruited as a police officer for the simple reason that the person possesses a university degree or any academic qualification for that matter. A deeper probe of individual backgrounds is necessary.
Also, government should muster enough political will to genuinely support the prosecution and punishment of those who are found to have offended the laws of the land. This will serve as a deterrent to potential offenders and contribute to enhancing public confidence in police officials, who have in most cases been accused of facilitating the release of high profile suspects, almost immediately after their arrests. This allegation also speaks volumes of the level of public awareness on human rights issues.
Intensified training and retraining of police personnel on issues of public relations and respect for human rights will go a long way in enhancing public confidence in the police. Adequate funds should also be set aside for sensitizing members of the public on their rights and the expectations of the police from them.
Based on complaints of underfunding over the years and the recent growth in the volume of security challenges in the country, security got the highest budgetary allocation in the 2012 budget and a significant chunk in the 2013 budget. No budget is enough for national security but an effective utilization of the budgets will help the country.
According to the Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Caleb Olubode while speaking at his budget defence session before the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs in Abuja, N2 billion out of the 2013 police budget of N319 billion has been earmarked for logistics, intelligence gathering and purchase of anti-terror equipment. This is cheering considering the need for enhanced training and acquisition of modern equipment.
The Nigerian judiciary equally has a lot of role to play in restoring confidence of the Nigerian public in their police force. According to the Head of Monitoring Unit, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Harry Obe, over 70% of prison inmates in Nigeria are suspects, awaiting trial. Several case trials have been delayed for a period too long to imagine, leading to congestion of cases and a resultant congestion of the nation?s detention centres. Sometimes, cases are adjourned again and again. This is simply justice delayed and denied and constitutes a problem to the police. The judiciary in Nigeria should do everything possible to improve the criminal justice system. It should ensure speedy dispensation of justice and take urgent measures to decongest the nation?s prisons.
The menace of terrorist activities in the country is very peculiar and relatively new to Nigeria. Nigerian police and other security agencies were obviously not very prepared for this kind of crime before now and this explains the alleged indiscriminate arrest, detention and killing of suspected Boko Haram members in parts of the north. The human rights challenge in the investigation of terrorist cases is quite enormous and further justifies the call for adequate funding and training of security operatives.
ALBINUS CHIEDU
CEO, OUTPUT COMMUNICATIONS
29, ADENIYI JONES AVENUE
IKEJA, LAGOS
