THE NIGERIAN POLLUTED FORCE

Long before any Nigerian of my generation (the UP NEPA generation) knew how to define corruption, we could describe it.

Any road junction having 4 – 5 policemen doing some kind of revenue collection was the perfect way to explain corruption – Egunje collection.

Over the years the Nigerian Police Force has so epitomized corruption that the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti described a police station as a bank, with the Divisional Police Officer (D.P.O) as bank manager. In Fela’s thinking, which I subscribe to, the police station had perfected the act of marketing corruption, setting targets for the corrupt marketers (police officers) and actually deriving revenue from their activities both within and outside the police station. They had police tellers, police note-counters and police funds transfer officers processing the daily cash proceeds, declaring profits and daily take-home pay.

It was like a true breath of fresh air when the current Inspector-General of police, Mohammed Abubakar, ordered a ban police road blocks and released phone numbers which members of the public could call to report any flouting of his orders. He had done the miraculous. In Warri and PH, cities I’m familiar with, crime actually reduced after this ban. My thinking is since police officers did not have need for weapons outside the station, there was scarcity of weapons for them or the so-called actual criminals to perpetuate crime with.

Unfortunately that singular act would not and cannot rid the NPF of corruption as the rotten eggs within a system the IG is still very much part of, still holds sway.

The Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole, had during a recent police launching in Abuja, which had the vice-president in attendance, made some allegations which he backed with reason and a threat to release documents if his allegations were not taken seriously. He accused the Deputy Inspector General of police put in-charge of investigations into the murder of his Principal Private Assistant, Olaitan Oyerinde, of complicity and deliberately bungling the investigation. Oshiomole had categorically accused the D.I.G of being too lazy to do his job.

He stated that the D.I.G had paraded a gun already in police custody as the murder weapon, paraded already incarcerated “criminals” as being responsible for the murder as well as wrongly arresting Olaitan’s friend, Rev David Ugolor, the last outsider to see Olaitan alive.

The IG, in his reckless and “un-police-manly” response, stood reason on the head and betrayed his profession by saying the governor didn’t know what he was talking about. He further said the NPF would respond to the governor at the appropriate time.

That was the most stupid thing any police man could do. The IG as head of the police force should know better than to trivialize allegations. He really should have just shut his mouth if he had nothing better to say than to so blatantly rubbish a weighty allegation made by a sitting governor. He should have listened properly to the governor and then re-opened the investigation, putting it in the hands of a more competent and trusted lieutenant.

The IG basically killed the case and emboldened his ineffective subordinates involved in that investigation to believe they didn’t need to be afraid or do any more work. The governor’s allegations would no longer hold water after their overall boss had carelessly trounced it. The IG was absolutely wrong to have made that statement without first, as a police officer, considering all the facts or heresy that the governor was speaking.

I make bold to say that this IG is and will be no different from his predecessors. I wouldn't be surprised if in no distant time we start hearing stories of his own corruption, mis-appropriation of funds and reckless abuse of power. He is part of and sits atop a system that has so marketed corruption hence his only response was to save his lazy non-performing lieutenants.

The IG would only save face and prove me and the numerous others watching his actions and reactions wrong by re-opening the Olaitan murder case, doing a proper investigation and for once give the police a good name. There is very little time but I want to believe Mohammed Abubakar, the Inspector General of police would cease to bring me shame.

Ukpetenan Frank Obehi