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NIGERIA POLICE AND EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS: THE LYING COMATOSE
NIGERIA POLICE AND EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS: THE LYING COMATOSE
By Chris Okafor
The extra judicial killings by the members of Nigeria Police Force have been a great source of concern now. In late 2009, Amnesty International, African Programme concluded that "The Nigerian police are responsible for hundreds of unlawful killings every year. The majority of the cases go uninvestigated and the police officers responsible go unpunished. The families of the victims usually get no justice or redress. Most never even find out what happened to their loved ones. A corrupt police culture, little training or competence with firearms, and the legacy of Nigeria's military era are all contributing factors"
Over the past few years, it is no longer unusual to read Nigeria Newspapers without reports of unnecessary killings by members of the Nigeria Police. Most of these reports are sometimes accompanied with video clips under which an individual was arrested for unspecified crime and within a twinkle of an eyelid, that person is shot dead by the Police without following due processes.
While I have often likened these to a mere fictions even when I am convinced it is real, I never believe for one that such thing would happen to me or somebody that I know. At exactly 1.20 am, the 1st of April, 2010, my cell phone ranged. I thought it was one of my close friends who knew I hardly go to bed till 3.30am as I will be busy reading or writing but it turned out to be that of my elder brother. Confused!, I have asked him almost immediately what he was doing calling me at this odd hour of the day but the response I got further plunged me into further confusion. He explained that he was looking for a space in the mortuary to put his second son Charles who was killed by the Police. What? how, when, where and before he could answer, he broke down and started weeping and it was only then that I realized that it would be pointless trying to extract any meaningful information from him at that material time.
The next day, I got what appeared to be the likely story that led to the senseless killing of Charles Okafor and I wished I can lay my hands on a gun and confront the scavengers that take away the life of my nephew.
From the entire story, I see no reason why he should be killed. He was not an arm robber, he was not a 419 man neither was he a drug dealer and to make the matter worst, the police involved in that raid were said to be on illegal duty.
In the hit of these disturbing phenomena, I called a police officer I used to know in Nigeria to briefly explain to me what is meant by illegal operation or illegal duty within the expression of Nigeria Police Force. Not satisfied with his answer, I have further asked if illegal duty would warrant a police man who is probably on evening or night duty to wake up in the morning, put on his police uniform, go straight to the police station, pick up a gun and police vehicle and start raiding people indiscriminately.
The issue or rather the bottom line that chronicled the untimely death of my nephew undoubtedly rest on the word "illegal duty/operation" which the Ajerom Police Station had acknowledged as the initial efforts made by the police public relation officer, Mr. Frank Mba to exonerated the killer was vigorously thwarted.
Contrary to Vanguard report (10th April) that the said DPO was not aware of all the atrocities in his department, I can discern a theory within the meaning of illegal duty albeit other mitigating factors while the senseless and irrational killings not only the deceased but innocent and law abiding Nigerians have continued unabated.
Apart from poor funding of the force, no crime has survived or succeeded in Nigeria without the support of the police.
A policeman in Nigeria who is sent on an errand or road check point and most recently, the crime squad by his boss, i.e, the DPO, is expected to bring good monetary return as a means of homage to him. When this does not happen, then, it is only right to say that such police officer is not capable and should subsequently loose his/her job or better still face demotion. In order to work hard, make money to the detriment of unarmed civilians and impress their bosses comes the illegal duty. All it takes, like I stated earlier is to come to the station even when you are not on duty, pick up your AK47 and police vehicle and off you go. Gatherings, whether authorised or not, pubs or beer parlours and in most cases, innocent road users becomes their targets. They would fire a shot on the air and order everyone to lie down even when it is apparent that they have not committed any offence.
The police would bundle their targets to the station, locked them up and ask them to pay some specific amount in order to be released or bailed. Obviously, the percentage of this money goes to the Oga (DPO) while the remnant is shared among them. You dare not ask why or what you did to warrant being arrested because you will risk having a hole on your head and the police killer would be promoted immediately for killing an armed robber. This is the pictorial x-ray under which Charles Okafor was murdered.
Let us consider for a moment that the said DPO-would-be lawyer is not truly aware of the atrocities within his department, then, it is arguably normal for him to have taken the best line of defence as he did in spite of arrogance so far displayed. Whether he is aware or not is immaterial as this would be tantamount to a huge and irresponsible failure on his side. Again, if he admits that he is aware which is unlikely, then question should arise as what decisive action he had taken to address those atrocities which unavoidably would result to the conclusion that he has lost touch and therefore guilty of severe ignorance in dispensation and discharge of his duties to the community that he was delegated to serve. The truth is more likely to emerge from the hypothetical example above as no policeman, given Nigerian factor, would ever admit his/her misdemeanours. In contrast, the idea to transfer the DPO is utter rubbish. H e should be made to apologise and subsequently fired.
Demonstration
It is technically true that hoodlums in Nigeria have always taken the advantage of every single demonstration to destroy properties and commit other crimes. This is a different case all together. The demonstration, going by the report, was quite peaceful. It was indeed a demonstration staged by youths to register their resentment against the indecent and nefarious activities of the brigands called Nigeria Police Force. It was, again, a demonstration in honour of their fallen comrade, Charles Okafor who was brutalised and murdered.
Such demonstration in most advance countries like Britain had led to the introduction and subsequent implementation of Police and Criminal Evidence Act, 1984 otherwise known as PACE. Under this arrangement, no policeman would arrest anybody without reasonable ground or suspicion for doing so as the court have always looked very carefully at how an arrest has been carried out and have not been reluctant to hold that the police have failed to act in accordance with the proper procedure.
Ironically, the deceased has not been buried two months afterward. Two weeks ago, a relatively unknown Dr.Ajibola Bakare came out with the autopsy result that Charles died of hypertension and almost immediately some groups including Ajegunle People's Movement (APM), Ajegunle branch of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), Ajeromi-Ifelodun Community Movement (AICOM) and Computer Games Association (CGA) in a statement signed by their representatives Aderemi Ismaila (DSM), Josy Anuah (APM) Emeka Bosah (AICOM) and Wasiu Animashau(CGA) in Lagos, said the medical examination purportedly carried out by one Dr. Ajibola Bakare of the Lagos State Teaching Hospital which stated that Charles died of hypertension, was an outright fabrication and distortion of the cause of Charles' death.
This is always akin to Nigeria factors and an extraordinary reference for agile minds and another method by Nigeria Police to exonerate themselves from the killing. The entire family have no record of any health issue relating to hypertension. It bothers me that Nigeria Police are playing on people's intelligence. Let`s us consider for a moment that the deceased died from the ailment that he was attributed to. Who created the scene? He was repeated hit with the butt of the gun and tear gassed and there is a living witness to this who have continuously testifying against all the police involved. I have no idea how the police want to reconcile this. Do they realize that by coming publicly to apologise to the family that they have impliedly accepted that they were responsible for Charles death?
Much as I believe that no amount compensation from the Police, if any, would bring the deceased back to life, I call on all the activists above to intensify effort and ensure that justice is done so that this irrationality by the police should stop once and for all.
Chris Okafor,
Galway, Ireland
About the Author
Chris Obiajulu Okafor was born in Ogwashi-Uku in Delta state of Nigeria few months before the outbreak of the protracted Nigeria civil war. He had both his primary and post primary education in Ogwashi- Uku and later studied Mass Communication in the University Of Lagos.He came to Ireland in 2002 where he is presently living with his wife and 3 children. Chris is a journalist and a creative writer that has participated in many comtemporary issues both here and in Nigeria. At the moment, Chris is a Law Student in Nottingham Trent University in England as well as the current President, Anioma Ubion, Galway Ireland