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Counteracting Partisan Police in Nigeria
Abba Bashir Shuwa ...July 17, 2010
It is appalling to hear about how the Nigeria Police Force behave in handling political matters which always creates the impression that they have been clearly partisan, helping the party in control of government in the fight against their opponents.
On numerous occasions the Police employed dubious tactics in frustrating the activities of some organized interest groups that are opposed to the government in control of power while similar interest groups that support the aspirations of incumbent office holders were given the required permit and police protection to conduct their activities without hindrance.
This is a big issue that will impede on the conduct of free and fair elections in Nigeria if it is allowed to go on unchecked. Since elections are outcome of campaigns which are done through mobilizing citizens to freely support candidates of their choice but that would not be possible if the Police continued to give preferential treatment to some interest groups against others.
Recently the police killed one person and injured several others during a rally organized by the Bauchi State chapter of the Arewa Youth Development Foundation (AYDF) while also many were detained by the police for their role in organizing the protest to oppose the incumbent president’s attempt to dump the zoning policy of their party.
Trigger happy Police in Nigeria known for their notoriety in opening fire on innocent civilians and popularly called ‘kill and go’ used live bullets on unarmed civilian protesters traveling on a bus and killed a 26 year old citizen Aliyu Haruna and left several others injured. Those injured are currently receiving treatment at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital in Bauchi.
Though the Bauchi Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Barau, denied the claim in the usual manner, Nigerians have become tired of lawless Police that fail in their duty to protect lives and properties of citizens. They cover their failure through the open show of support to political office holders who have refused to hold them to account for the breakdown of law and order. This they do, even though Nigeria is bedeviled by increase in crime such as armed robberies, kidnappings and politically motivated murders.
The previous records of performance of the police in past electioneering activities in Nigeria must be brought to the fore and discussed so that necessary steps are taken to overcome their shortcomings in future elections.
We are aware that the Police in Nigeria have been indicted for their partisan roles and were accused of harboring political thugs like the Kalare thugs led by a so-called youth leader Muazu from Gombe who incidentally was allowed by the same police to help organize a similar rally in support of the president recently in Bauchi. Just after writing this, I came across this article written by This Day, which further exemplifies my point.
We are witnesses to the free reigns of terror unleashed by political thugs on people, and because the thugs enjoyed police protection most Nigerians preferred to stay away from political activities. The ‘ECOMOG’ in Borno, ‘KALARE’ in Gombe and ‘YAN DABA’ in Kano as well as the ‘YOUTHS’ in Niger Delta, ‘OPC’ in Lagos are some of the known thugs that operate freely under the guise of ‘Youth Wing’ of their political parties. The thugs are usually known hardened criminals who get hired out to politicians by the police. In return the police share from the proceeds of their pay and continue to protect them. Since the police know the activities and operations of such known criminals it has become easy for them to find them job as political assassins on the pay roll of desperate political office seekers in Nigeria.
Unless that trend is checked and stopped we would continue to be held hostage by criminals in the police who use their uniform and compromise their position of trust to carry out nefarious activities as well as the thugs they employed to do the dirty jobs on their behalf. It is on record that police hire out guns and ammunitions to criminals. The case of Iyamu in the Anenih saga is a clear testimony to the fact that the police nurse and nurture criminals in Nigeria.
In most Nigerian cities political thugs roam about in 4 x 4 wagons during which they intimidate road users and force motorists to give them way and openly attack and smash vehicles of those who hindered their movement. Their mode of operation is the same with the ‘kill and go’ police and innocent Nigerians have no place to take their complaints due to the complicity of the police in these atrocities.
The time has come to critically examine the roles of all those tasked with ensuring our safety as a people and find out why is the policing system collapsing. Why are criminals allowed to perpetrate crimes without hindrance while innocent citizens are made to suffer? Who failed in their duty to bring down the rate of crime? Is it justified to claim lack of equipment which are readily available in silencing lawful opposition but is not there for combating crime? Who are the police accountable to? Why are police in other democratic societies performing well? These and several other questions that need to be answered as we continue to x-ray the Nigeria Police.
(c) The Optimist Voice. All Rights Reserved.
