THE NIGERIA POLICE ARE AT IT AGAIN; THE SECURITY OF THE NATION IS IN DISTRESS AND NIGERIA IS DESPAIRING.

By Joseph Fagbola




It was just on the 1st of Nov. 2011, I wrote on the arrest of three Policemen who allegedly participated in the killing of 25-year old Emmanuel Victor, at the Sani Abacha Expressway, Yenogoa, Bayelsa State, on Sunday 16th October, 2011, for commenting on the extortion of money from commercial motor cyclists, popularly known as Okada. Earlier on, I commented on the killing of two brothers born of the same mother and father by the Police, at Okitipupa in Ondo State. Till now, the investigation of these two separate killings of three young innocent men has not led to any known prosecution, in spite of the promise of the PPRO of Bayelsa Police Command, Mr Eguavon Emokpae (DSP), to make the outcome of the orderly-room trial of the killers of Emmanuel Victor, known to the public.


As if that is not bad enough, The Nigeria Police are at it again. Only yesterday did the Vanguard report the killing of a 78 year-old Pa Amos Oriyomi, Baale of Bamgbelu Parafa Community in Ikorodu Local Government of Lagos State. According to the report, life was snuffed out of the septuagenarian, Pa Amos Oriyomi on Thursday, 10 November, at 5. 30 pm, shortly after his last super with some visitors, who came to see him.


This unfortunate incident of the killing of Pa Amos Oriyomi would make it the third time I am writing on the atrocities committed by our Police who are paid from the coffers of the Public Fund to protect lives and properties of Nigerians. This year alone, the Security Sector alone (Military, Police, Internal Affairs Ministry, Police Reform, etc) got a mind-boggling appropriation of N1052 billion, which is about 35% of the total Federal Government Budget. What Nigerians are getting from this jumbo allocation, is wanton destruction of lives and properties. These are three extra-judicial killings by men in police uniform, and a carnage, too many.


When one adds these unfortunate incidents with the killing of over 150 people in Damaturu, Yobe State by Boko-Haram, on the Jumat day preceeding the Eid-EilKabir Festival, it becomes obvious that life is becoming highly unsafe in Nigeria, regardless of the impression that General Owoeye Azazi, the National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, would want to give to the outside world, to the contrary.. Could this retired Army General be said to be insensitive to the security situation of the country or is the denial a mere hypocrisy?. Or is this the time to be chasing shadows and engage in grandstanding instead of facing the reality of the security situation with a view to finding a lasting solution to the menace? The truth of the matter is that the security of the country is in distress, and Nigeria is despairing


Only yester-night was one of our sisters Chi Tola was asking the President, on the security of life and property in Nigeria, I jokingly advised her not to rely on the President or anybody for that matter, as nobody could be trusted on the present situation of the country. Rather, I told her to rely on God, who never fails and to continue to chant Psalm 23; 1 &4. Seriously speaking now, I wish to suggest that as an interim measure and pending whichever re-organisation that the Government wants to carry out, the suspected police in the killing of any Nigerian, should be charged to court under Sections 315 &316 0f the Criminal Code. We should stop making them to face orderly-room trial, which is a mere smoke-screen to cover the iniquities and heinous crime of murder, on daily basis as it is being done presently, by the Police. ENOUGH SHOULD BE ENOUGH