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How To Tackle Police Brutality.

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If someone puts their hands on you make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again. ~ Malcom X Once again we are seeing incidents of police brutality. I earlier wrote that it is not as if these shameful acts of our police officers abated after the #EndSARS protest. No, it just happens that they now try to avoid the cameras but unfortunately for them, Nigerians are bolder, so they record and expose the crimes on social media. However, it is worrisome that many seem to have given up on getting justice. It is not unusual to see comments like “nothing go happen”, and “they will be released the next day” when the police authority reports that perpetrators have been arrested. Of course, it’s easy to understand these feelings in a country where those tasked with protecting citizens are oftentimes the ones harming and in extreme cases taking the lives of citizens. But sometimes it is impatience and ignorance rather than despair that let off offenders in uniform. But we cannot relent. We must continue building Nigeria to a much saner clime. I will scroll back to 2003 and narrate my experience with police brutality to show that our police officers will actually do their job if we demand accountability. I was driving to Enugu with 3 friends when we were stopped at Oji River. After searching my car the police sergeant demanded the vehicle documents which I willingly handed over to him. He then started asking silly irrelevant questions and I initially answered till he asked where I made the money to buy a BMW. For one, Amawbia to Enugu is my regular route and I barely had issues with policemen over the years. Secondly, as a businessman who travels frequently on Nigerian roads, handling the police is a prerequisite skill. And finally, I am a friend of the police by virtue of proximity as my filling station is opposite the State CID and I actually supply the state command petroleum products. So I was more angry than perplexed and retorted, “You should have asked who I am instead”. To which he instantly barked, “Oh you want to impress your friends eh kwa. You want to show them that you can handle the police. Oya come and tell me who you are”. He immediately grabbed my jeans by the waist and started dragging me away. It all escalated so fast that I was halfway to the parked pickup van before I recovered from the shock and raised my voice in protest. “What have I done?” was replied with slaps until he got to the van and asked me to jump in. I refused and continued querying him about my offence. My friend who also recovered from the shocking incident rushed across the road to his superior asking him to intervene. I felt relieved when the inspector, an elderly man shouted at him. “Hey, Samuel hold it there!” The inspector crossed over and asked him what happened. He said I insulted him and refused to obey a lawful order. To my utter dismay without hearing from me the inspector ordered me to jump into the van! Of course, I refused again. An action which I will regret for the rest of my life. They numbered about four and all of them descended on me. I was beaten to a pulp with fists and batons and by the time I was eventually bundled into the van my left shoulder was dislocated. All the pleas from my friends fell on deaf ears. I was asked to surrender my car keys and my friend was ordered to drive my car to Enugu with them. In that excruciating pain, I was left behind the van as they drove all the way to Enugu. For context, a dislocation is classified as one of the most painful injuries. Some police officers can be heartless! We got to their station and I was ordered to sit on the floor. The DPO came out, heard their story and then invited my friend into his office to hear from him. I was later called in and when he heard about my shoulder the first thing he did was to feel the joint. It was evident that this was an experienced officer. He immediately shouted at the inspector. “So you injured this man and instead of taking him to the hospital you brought him here?” The inspector tried to say that I was acting but he was shouted down and instructed to take me to the hospital immediately. I was driven back to the Orthopaedic hospital where my shoulder was fixed. We went back to the station but the DPO had left and we were told to return tomorrow. The next day I came with the full paraphernalia of a successful businessman. I had my lawyer, a colleague in the oil industry and my mentor who incidentally was the DPO’s friend. The idea was to intimidate the entire station and that was exactly what we did. The officers were summoned and pulled off duty. The DPO asked them to plead with me not to submit a petition to the commissioner. For the first time in my life, I witnessed and relished the humiliation of offending police officers as they prostrated and begged. I refused and told the DPO that we will submit the petition. The following week an officer friend, the inspector’s daughter and her husband sauntered into my office clutching a bottle of wine. She introduced herself as a teacher, her husband works at UNN. They pleaded for me to forgive and withdraw my petition. She went on to explain that they have been begging their dad to retire since his 5 children could take care of him but he refused because he wanted to be promoted to ASP before his retirement. My friend explained the reason behind this; apparently, there is a huge salary/pension margin between the two ranks. Well, I called my lawyer and

Blog, Essays, Monishots

We Need More Advocates To Check Rogue Police Officers.

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“This is unacceptable, how can you subject people to this kind of torture all in the name of National ID card? And you are all here collecting N500 and N1000 from poor travellers who don’t have a national ID card.” ~Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum. Last week, Governor Babagana Zulum was forced to express his displeasure at the misconduct of security operatives along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway where thousands of travellers were stranded at a checkpoint while the soldiers and police officers extorted hapless commuters. The reactions to the tweet I read were even more disheartening. Hassan M Kabir tweeting @Hassan_m_kabeer narrated his own experience as he replied that “I have witnessed same along Maiduguri-Dikwa-Gamboru road where Soldiers and Immigrations torture and collect money(500) from travellers that don’t have National I.D card and collect 1000 from foreigners that have int’l passports with visas too. While another person @MBMAMMAN1 stated that “ In Baga ( lake Chad area) soldiers have displaced civilians and become middlemen in the business of smoke fish where they make huge profits. These soldiers will never wish to see the end of Boko Haram”. Sad tales which have become all too familiar among Nigerians. Never mind that the entire North-East zone is conflict-ridden, it has also turned into a major source of filthy lucre for many politicians, government workers and civil society organisations. Some Nigerians just couldn’t care less about the situation, their corrupt practice must be carried on regardless. And the biggest culprits are police officers. Ours is a police force that has been labelled the most corrupt institution in the country. A 2019 survey by SERAP revealed among other things that “a bribe is paid in 54 per cent of interactions with the police”. With a 63 per cent probability that an average Nigerian is asked to pay a bribe on each interaction with the police. Putting it starkly, two out of three persons are likely to part with money on any dealings with the police. Ordinary Nigerians attempting to make precarious ends meet as petty traders, commercial vehicle drivers are accosted on a daily basis by armed police officers who demand bribes from them. These daylight robberies are mostly perpetrated at illegal checkpoints littered along our roads. This unchecked menace is such that the average Nigerian especially the mobile young men anticipate a raw deal from the police each day. As one who has a life injury from police brutality, I sometimes skip armed robbers but never forget to include protection against “bad policemen” in my prayers whenever I hit the highway. Oh Yes, because the probability of meeting bad policemen on the highway is a certainty. Many of us have been pulled over at a police checkpoint for driving in a car considered too fanciful by a police officer. You can be arrested for owning a smartphone, a laptop or for your hairstyle, hell you can even be pulled over for having a beautiful partner on the passenger’s seat. It is unfathomable that in 2020 a police officer could raise a weapon because of a fifty naira bribe but it is still a daily occurrence and we only get to read about the ones that turned tragic. Nigerians on the streets can tell you that the social media narrative and reactions to these illegalities are somewhat a simplified, perhaps even oversimplified representation of a deeper problem because truth be told, our policemen commit murder daily. A trip to any Special Anti-Robbery Squad headquarters will leave you shaken by the palpable atmosphere of visceral pain, torture and horror. Successive IGPs assume duties with a maiden announcement on the abolition of illegal checkpoints yet these national eyesores remain along our highways. Over the yuletide, many people posted updates on the number of checkpoints between Lagos and Onitsha. Some counted 40, others 50 and even 60 but none less than 40. That works out to about one checkpoint per 15 kilometres even though a lot of these checkpoints are ridiculously located within a kilometre of each other. Of particular note is the Benin axis where members of the SARS have gained international notoriety for abducting commuters at gunpoint and extorting huge sums from them. Countless incidents have been exposed with shocking revelations that some of these rogue officers have pos machines on the highway. A few times the police have been forced to act. However, informing Nigerians through informal tweets that an incident is being investigated is not enough. There is practically no punishment for errant officers as we rarely hear of any prosecution except for the few cases that gained national attention. Nigerians want them prosecuted and punished accordingly. Undoubtedly our police force is understaffed, undertrained and definitely ill-equipped to handle the pressure of securing 200m lives. Nevertheless, this institutional dysfunction has not prevented them from establishing an elaborate and organised hierarchy of corruption via unrecorded ‘returns’. I wonder who trained them in virtual bookkeeping and cloud computing. An ex-police officer once told me that reforming the police should start with the police college where cadets are informally coached in methods of intimidation and extortion. You can see that we are dealing with an inveterate problem here. At the peak of the public outcry against police brutality in August 2018, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ordered the reformation of SARS. Yet almost 2 years on all these directives have amounted to nothing. This situation cannot and should not continue deteriorating. Some have argued that the crime rate on our roads dropped because of the presence of policemen. But this is very much debatable, as we cannot point to any statistics that support this claim. What’s more, our roads are rarely devoid of roadblocks so how can we possibly make a valid evaluation of the crime rates? While there are innumerable postulations on how best to reform the police little emphasis have been placed on advocacy which is a crucial ingredient in this battle. Many of the bad officers who besmirch the image of the police are emboldened by

Essays, Writers

South-West Security Network (Amotekun): A Step in The Right Direction? by Bolaji Alade.

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By virtue of the provision of Section 14, sub-section 2, part B of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government. And as you already know, government in a federation like Nigeria is tripartite. That is, there is a government at the federal, state and local government level. And for effective operation, each level of government comprise of three organs with distinctive functions to wit: Executive — primarily responsible for maintaining law and order; Legislature — primarily responsible for making laws; Judiciary — Primarily responsible for interpreting the laws and applying same to the facts brought before it. Having laid this background, you will agree with me that, insecurity is a threat to law and order and as such, falls under the purview of the executive organ of government. Accordingly, the office of the executive head at the federal level is adorned with the title of Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. It’s counterparts, are regarded as de jure Chief Security Officers of their respective states and local governments. Therefore, state and local government executive head are presumed by our laws and appellations to be in charge of security and held accountable in any event we suffer insecurity challenges. However, this is not the case. Owing largely to the paucity of thoughtfulness invested in the drafting of our constitution. The constitution, specifically in it’s Section 214 recognize the Nigeria Police Force(NPF) as the nation’s primary internal security agency and puts it’s control exclusively in the federal government. In essence, the other two levels of government have no role assigned under the constitution in managing internal security. But the States and local governments executive head are not going to have any of this. Thus, the genesis of formation of regional security outfits across the different regions in Nigeria. This is particularly effective in the South-western region of Nigeria. First it was the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) formed in1994 to safeguard the interest of the Yoruba people. It however did not engender deep legal and intellectual debates like the formation of South-west Security Network (Amotekun) in January 2020. And since all eyes are on Amotekun, it presents an ample opportunity to critically evaluate if the advantages of having a regional security outfit in modern day Nigeria far outweighs it’s consequences and therefore the messianic solution to conquering gross insecurity in the nation. No objective observer will disagree with the fact that the policing standard in Nigeria is not on par with international best practices. The level of professionalism is far below expectation, periodic trainings are a mirage and very importantly, the Nigeria Police force is becoming overburdened. While it may not look like it on the surface particularly if you consider how legions of police officers grace polling units on election days quadrennialy. When you consider that several of our police officers are attached to serving and past political office holder, you need no Sherlock Holmes to tell you security in Nigeria is more available to the rich and powerful. For over two years, insecurity in the southwest has deepened. Many traders now cower and shy away from transporting their goods. Even farmers no longer feel safe on their farms[i]. I bet you still remember how an Ondo State first class monarch was killed by kidnappers while plying the road last year[ii]. In this messy situation, Amotekun coming on board to complement NPF to protect the lives and properties of South-westerners is a blessing worthy of double count. It’s potential benefits will go beyond preservation of valuable properties and people’s lives, it will also preserves South-westerners means of livelihood; what a good way to fulfil government’s duty to provide security and cater for its citizens welfare. A clog in the wheel of the NPF in the fight against insecurity across Nigeria is their lack of adequate understanding of local terrain. This gives bandits, violent herders and other unscrupulous elements a huge advantage. Once they flee into the forest, the members of NPF not being local dwellers familiar with the geographical area have a hard time tracking them. In fact, the norm is that NPF employs the services of local vigilante for guidance in combing the forests. This irrevocably affirm that the NPF needs a well groomed and structured regional security outfit as Amotekun in the Southwest to complement their efforts by providing accurate Intel, accompanying their forest combing search for unscrupulous elements etc. Therefore Amotekun is a solid step towards curbing insecurity in the southwest. Isn’t it ironical that States’ Chief Security Officers cannot be held accountable for insecurity within their territories. State governors as earlier established, do not have direct control over the police officers serving in their states and this means, even in the face of imminent threats to lives and orderliness in a state in Nigeria, it’s government is helpless. Hence, the custom of awaiting directive from the Inspector General of Police before taking urgent steps. More often than not, police intervention after initial delay is often a case of administering medicine after death. But, with the establishment of Amotekun in the southwest it’s state governors can now promptly nip in the bud insecurity threats before it becomes a full blown crisis. Without gainsaying, enlisting local men and women into Amotekun also help to address unemployment among the teeming population and consequently improve overall standard of living in southwest. In the interest of balance, it is pertinent to note that there are a handful of potential harm Amotekun portends in Southwestern Nigeria. And while it’s operations in this region is still new, some of these potential damages are already surfacing. For the Anti-Amotekun school of thought, their fears were hinged on strong prediction of abuse of power by these security outfit. This category of people argued that it’s only a matter of time before Amotekun grows wing and act ultra vires — beyond legitimate power. This well founded argument hits home differently when you consider the First Premier of Western Region,

Blog, Essays, Monishots

Moving Forward After #EndSARS.

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So to build on the gains of #EndSARS, we must demand the immediate release of all bank accounts frozen by the CBN. The IGP must get the roadblocks out of our highways. There is a new consciousness around police brutality and the need for a change. The policemen, though back on the roads are aware of this. I have seen it and you have seen it. It must endure.

Essays, Writers

State Police: A Feasible Solution To Enhance National Security by Victor Okonjo.

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  Security as we all know is the business of everybody. A common statement that goes thus “Be your brother’s keeper” gives a true understanding on the importance of security cautiousness at all levels. In other words, the representation of security management should be effectively distributed across board including the communal neighborhood. To achieve this objective, the system of policing must be such that is decentralized to enable productive and effect security management. A feasible solution to this course is the establishment of State police. To achieve positive and improved outcome on national security in a complex country like Nigeria, the establishment of State police must be given due consideration and acceptance. Countries that practice the system of federalism in normal sense devolve autonomous responsibility and ability to component States. This will allow for even distribution of development to the grass root including a functioning security network. However, the present security architecture of the Nigerian Police Force does not have the wherewithal to adequately overwhelm the security challenges in the country. This is because of several reasons not limited to low number of police personnel per citizen ratio and the centralized bureaucratic system. The control of power over policing should not be solely for the federal government but a shared responsibility among the component States. One of the importances of State police is that personnel who would be recruited will be from the locals of the respective States. They will be very familiar with their immediate environment and if well trained, with due motivation, will perform maximally in tackling security threats. Furthermore, the establishment of State police will empower the Governor of a State, who is the chief security officer of the State, to have direct control over civil matters that concern security. The Governor will know how best to organize adequate security when he has executive influence over the command of State security. The unitary system practiced in Nigeria has become so inadequate to sustain development but impede growth. For a country to enjoy economic prosperity, she must ensure to strengthen and standardize her national security. The high magnitude of power clustered at the federal tier of government has caused slow growth in governance. Therefore, the machinery of State should restructure the country in a way that will allow the possibility of rapid national development. The restructuring of the country will certainly pave way for State police to be created. If Nigeria is to practice federalism as a system of government, she has to do it correctly to the latter.     Some persons have opposed the ideal of State police on the basis of myopic reasons. They majorly claim that Governors would abuse executive power through undue influence over State police when established. However, it is pertinent for us to know that it is easier to hold a State government accountable than the federal government. That is why before State police is made manifest the country would be restructured in a way that enables check and balance in the various States of the country. The security of live and properties is the priority and responsibility of government as stipulated by the constitution. Therefore, State government lead by executive Governors are duty bound by the law to ensure the right to life and security of properties are religiously protected especially if State police is established. There are so many examples of countries that practice State or regional police. In fact, some of these countries have more than one different police systems that operate within respective jurisdiction. Countries of such nature are but not limited to the United States of America, United Kingdom, India, Japan, Canada and Australia. In all, the United States of America is said to have the most decentralized police system in the world. The police architecture in the United States is broken down into various types that enable her components States, counties, towns/cities and villages to form their own police. The idea behind this is to prevent too much clustered power over the police by the central government and to give room for local crisis to be tackled with local solutions. The United Kingdom who practices parliamentary system of government devolved power of policing to her local constituents. They operate a tripartite system of police, which is accountable solely to the law but administrative or political influence. The Nigeria government should be humble enough to recognize the effectiveness of a decentralized police service as it is in the aforementioned countries. Aside the establishment of State police in the various States, the local communities and villages should be allowed to define their security arrangement. I strongly support State police to be a feasible solution to enhance national security.     REFRENCES: http://www.britannica.com/topic/poice/Decentralized-police-organizations,                                 2020, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Professional Ethics in Law Enforcement and Security Management, Course Code: CSS 442, Pg. (90), School of Arts and Social Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria.   Victor Okonjo wrote in via okonjovico@gmail.com

Essays, Writers

SARS: A Mirror Of The Rotten Nigeria Police Force In Need Of Reformation by Bolaji Alade.

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  All the world over, security of lives and properties of citizens is the raison d’être of government. In Nigeria, The Nigeria Police Force, an agency of the executive arm of government undertakes this duty. Which for effective operation, established the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as a unit under the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in 1992i to nip in the bud upsurge of robbery activities that pose a threat to our lives and properties. Sadly, this special unit, SARS, now uses its powers as a stick against the citizens it exists to protect.  Against this backdrop, there have been past and ongoing passionate calls for abolishment of SARS. Especially as past efforts towards reformation proved abortive.  However, an abolishment of SARS like past reforms I fear will amount to a paper tiger and at worst, a futile exercise.   How so? Here’s a logical explanation; upon abolishment, SARS officials, being members of the Nigeria Police Force won’t suffer dismissal, rather, resume duty in other extant unit (s) of the mainstream police and the decay continues albeit, under an unfamiliar name. Which will not bring to halt the problem of police brutality, extortion, human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings SARS officials perpetrateii. Hence, what we need is a holistic reform of the entire Nigeria Police Force so that SARS and other units within the force can conduct themselves under international best practices if we must achieve the change we passionately desire.  Every student of history will recall that prior to the reform announced few days ago by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, we had failed reform of SARS in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019iii. In fact, sometimes in 2018, Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, started a reformiv which saw the unit rechristened F-SARS (Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad) but, without gainsaying only the name changed, the terror continued. A thorough reform that takes into account these crucial points will make a difference.  The genuine reformation of SARS and by extension its umbrella body, Nigeria Police Force must begin with reorientation of the entire member of the force. The deep-seated rot in the system exposes the lackluster training received at police academies across the nation. There is need to inculcate in the police officers’ values such as Patriotism, decorum and empathy among others. Officers need to realize they’re not a machinery of the state who functions at the beck and call of few high and mighty in the society unwavering in oppressing fellow citizens. A classic example is how police escort of Senator Abbo conducted himself as accomplice to the assault meted out by his principal against an ordinary Nigerianv he serves to protect.  Decorum among the police will also mean deviation from flagrant breach of codes of conduct like, request for bribes from commuters which often culminates in sad turn such as shooting at innocent citizens when they resist such request for bribe or illegal arrest.   Likewise, empathy as a value upheld in the police force will go a long way to endear victim-citizens to report crimes of stealing, rape, murder, etc. To the police, as against resorting to jungle justice. While they can conduct this reorientation for extant members of the police force as part of periodic trainings, new recruits must undergo this orientation and show to have imbibed same before admission into the force.  In addition, the menace of police brutality is rife because there is a low level of internal accountability system within the force. Today, a typical SARS official in Nigeria wakes up and hits the street with a gun dangling around his or her shoulders, exploit citizens and close for the day. There is no superior who receives daily report or any system of monitoring police conducts. Drawing inspiration from practice in other climes, an effective reform would warrant adoption of a technology driven monitoring system in the force. Like the customary Walkie Talkie, police officers should have attached to each one of them body camera to capture every of their daily activities religiously monitored by an efficient monitoring body and failure to attach the body camera or detach during official duty should attract strict penalty perhaps a dismissal.  The place of policies and legislations is pivotal to a successful holistic reform. And without prejudice to the recently signed into law Police Bill 2020, which provides for certain laws in tandem with global practice, there is a need for an urgent constitutional amendment.   Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) allows the Governor of a State or commissioner to direct the commissioner of police to deploy police machinery for maintenance and securing of public safety and public order within the state as he may consider necessary subject to the approval of the President (or any minister authorized).  This is however subject to abuse by power drunk government officials as sub-section 5 of the same section 215 ousts the court’s jurisdiction by providing that “The question whether any, and if so what, directions have been given under this section shall not be inquired into in any court.” To illustrate, it then means that a power drunk sitting governor who deploys the police to teargas and round up peaceful protesters exercising their rights to peaceful protests and assembly can use this constitutional provision as a shield from prosecution. Thus, to achieve an effective reform, we must amend this constitutional clog in the wheel of effective judicial review of policing in Nigeria.  Careful study of the trend of the rots in Nigeria Police Force suggests introduction of random drug and alcohol test as part of an effective reform. It is no longer news that police officers engage in substance abuse. Repeatedly, images and videos have surfaced on the internet, capturing uniformed men in this unbecoming act. At other times, they have attributed police brutality to non-sobriety State of the perpetrator.   It will be instructive to establish a drug test department within the force which will conduct pre-employment test for recruits (failure of which leads to disqualification), and periodic test on serving officers of the force especially after a report of accidental discharge, illegitimate conduct and so forth. With a measure like this, there’s no cat in hell’s chance officers won’t be on their toes.  Last, an effective reform should factor in an admixture of retributive and restorative system of justice. It implies that although police-perpetrators face trial and justice manifestly done, it shouldn’t end there. The victims of police brutality, extortion and harassment should receive commensurate compensation. No amount of money is worth cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment victims suffer, yet, a monetary compensation to victims or family of victims in unfortunate situation the victim pass away, give a sense of justice further than merely seeing the perpetrator dismissed and serve time in jail.  In fact, we should not restrict compensation sought from court to monies. We should extend the scope to cater for health-care of victims, education and welfare of children and spouses of deceased– victims and any other reasonable compensation commensurate to each circumstance.  In conclusion, the reform cannot but begin now! Enough of extortion and harassment by the body meant to serve and protect us. It is prime time the leadership of the Nigerian Police Force take cognizance and implement the effective reform strategies afore discussed in this piece and those proposed by other concerned Nigerians. The consequences of continued deafening silence of government or reluctance to implement effective reform are better imagined than said.  Bolaji Alade is a 400 Level law student of the University of Ibadan with a keen interest in International Criminal Law, Journalism and Media & Entertainment Law.  He can be reached through mobolajijames23@gmail.com                        

Essays, Writers

The Glaring Legalized Impunity by Arueze Chisom Precious.

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  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – Martin Luther King  With tears running down his cheeks like that of a baby, grief and pain evident on his face I wondered what could make a grown man cry publicly because men don’t cry in Africa. He said “ I lived in the north for up to twelve years I never lost a finger, I came back here only for somebody to waste my son, there was no war, fighting or riot it’s not like the boy was involved in any fracas or he stole, just cold-bloodedly they wasted this boy for me O! God avenge this boy……” a father who just lost his son to police brutality lamented.  The history of SARS.                                                                                                                                                      It happens to be that the acronym SARS stands for two different things which do not ring well to Nigerians and the world at large, while one means severe acute respiratory syndrome  the other means the special anti-robbery squad. The Special anti robbery squad is a branch of the Nigeria police force under the force criminal investigation and intelligence  department ( FCCID).  It was founded in 1992 by police commissioner Simeon Danladi Midenda. The major reason SARS was formed was as a result of the killing a Nigerian Army Colonel, Col Rindam  at a police check point in Lagos. The army waged war on the police and the police went into hiding thereby making crimes be on the rise. SARS was formed with just 15  officers operating in the shadow without the knowledge of the army. SARS is one of the 14 units in the force criminal investigation and intelligence department which was established to detain, investigate and prosecute people involved in crimes like arm robbery, kidnapping and other forms of crime.  SARS now.   This evil going on in our country stares right in our faces, not one week will pass without news of how this unit of the police force has either sent a citizen to his or her early grave or have brutally handled another.  I shudder at the lack of value for human lives by the SARS officials. The target of these SARS officials are the youth and when the youth of a country suffers negatively it sets the country behind .These sets of people who are meant to secure and protect lives and properties end up doing the opposite.Their Crime range from robbery, extortion, rape, car snatching, torture blackmail, murder, framing etc. Going online will avail you the opportunity to read plethora of stories of how inhumane SARS can be . A routine stop and search turns out to be an avenue for harassment and extortion from Nigerians.  To make matters worse they are most times not answerable to  these crimes neither are they brought to book. Endless complains are filed but next to nothing is been done about it.  What has the government done?   The worst type of Injustice is pretended justice – Plato.  Since the year 2012 the special anti-robbery squad(SARS) had being connected to cases of extortion, torture, framing and blackmail. In December 2016 Segun Awosanya started the ENDSARS campaign on social media and it went viral with Nigerians sharing their stories. The federal government had promised a reform on SARS during the year 2015,2017, 2018,2019 and 2020 . Although in the year 2018 the acting president Prof. Yemi Osibanjo made a reform on  this unit of police by putting up different roles and thereby renamed it FSARS, meaning federal special anti-robbery squad which as far as I know that act can be likened to the pouring of water on a rock. As far as am concerned from the past years the federal government has done nothing but lip service to  the pleas and cries from Nigerians. This leaves me wondering if the government has our best interest at heart at all.  To reform or to abolish  Nothing is as dangerous as power with impunity – Isabel Allende  One of the steps in moving ahead is to acknowledge the fact that  you have a problem and the next is doing something about it with immediate effect. In my honest opinion, I suggest whatever that can be done to stop this impunity is  what works best for me.                                                                                                        Though I’ll like to share with you an unpopular fact.Do  you know one of the criteria for the recruitment into the special anti robbery squad(SARS)?                                                                                                                           You Must be an ex-convict.                                                                                                                                       Now can you imagine  an ex-convict who might have killed  someone, fresh out of jail without any psychological, mental,  and emotional counselling being in the position to yield a gun, and he tells you what or what not to do but this time he has the authority to shoot you.    Reference:  Wikipedia– ENDSARS  Wikipedia- SARS ( special anti-robbery squad)  Amnesty  international  2020 latest jobs, vacancies and recruitment in Nigeria 2020- SARS recruitment     Arueze Chisom Precious, a passionate writer can be reached through sommytilly1402@gmail.com    

Essays, Writers

Why SARS Needs To Be Reformed by Olomu Michael.

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  Lately the word ‘SARS’ an acronym for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, have been a trending talk in the Nation. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad commonly known as SARS, a unit of the Nigeria Police Force under the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, which was founded in 1992 by a retired Commissioner of Police, Simeon Danladi and who was also the Nigerian Contingent Commander to United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998. The retired Police Commissioner then added the word  “Special’’ to the already existing Anti-Robbery Squad operation then, which in turn, is presently known as SARS.  No doubt! Recently there have been several accusations and allegations by the citizens of the country, allegations strong enough to scrap the SARS unit from the Nigeria Police Force.  Allegations such as kidnapping, rape, stealing, inhumane torture, killings etc and lot of negative vices inclined to SARS have been so alarming. Testimonies pouring out from individuals and masses of this beloved country of ours, backed up with physical evidence is of no doubt nothing but the truth of these allegations.    Several proposals have been forwarded to the Federal Government to end the dreadful behaviour of SARS against the citizens it is meant to protect, seems as though the effort channelled by the citizens to bring the SARS to justice have simultaneously been ignored. Thus making the citizens of the country to take matters into their hands, leading to vigorous protest been raised on the street and various social media handlings tagged as “#End SARS”. The recent resolution by the citizens which led to this crucial action defines the unbearable state of the people towards SARS; therefore the need by the Federal Government to look into this matter with immediate effect cannot be neglected and overemphasized on. The allegations against the Nigeria Police Force Unit, which has been proving beyond doubt as fact and truth is more than enough evidence to bring SARS to justice, as long as the law exist no one is free from impunity. The creation of the Unit is aimed at fighting vices and negative activities in the country. However with these allegations which goes against the rules and regulation aimed at what they were meant to do, that is ‘To protect the citizens of the country’. It’s now mandatory indeed to bring the SARS unit back on track to make them realize the full definition and objectives of their offices.  I, standing against the abolishment of the SARS unit does not mean that am going against the masses request. Before taking matters into our hands, we need to weigh the consequences of our decision. Have met people in one way or the other giving testimonies on how SARS saved their communities from rogues, roadside criminals, cultist, helped them to recover stolen gadget and finance restoration from scammers etc. No doubt to some extent SARS have been of help to the community and nation at large. SARS in some part of the country are doing an appreciative job worth of thanks and gratitude’s by the people. We can’t use the sins and crimes of others to paint an entire organisation ‘black’. The question we need to ask ourselves as human is, what could be the reason behind such behaviour by this personnel? I believe in the process of reforming this organisation, we will find the answers we seek for.  Just in, Lagos state house of assembly asks the Federal Government to scrap SARS. Fact is; if such request is finally granted, who will secure our roads and communities? When you scrap them from the system then what happens to their internally developed attitude? In my opinion they need re-orientation and proper education on what duties and services demands in the society. I go with ‘Reform’ and not scrapping off, they can’t be totally bad. We need them now more than ever. With the rate of increase number of; fraudster, criminals, youth becoming terror to the society and community at large, all these vices needs to be put in checked. So far so good, SARS have been doing well in tackling these issues. Scrapping SARS is not the problem but I hope the level of fraudulent activities will not increase more in Nigeria; we also need to think about these things. Instead of ending SARS, it should be “Reformed”. It’s an anti-robbery squad and the present Nigeria needs a reformed SARS more than ever.   In conclusion, the Federal Government should call SARS to order, scrutinize them by giving them all necessary trainings to build up their mental capacity which will enable them understand vividly the aims and objectives of their job. The SARS most take the cognizance of the fact that the survival fate of the people rest in their hands.          Olomu Oladipupo Micheal, a Chemical engineering graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger state, wrote in via olomuoladipuposamuel@gmail.com        

Essays, Writers

SARS Reformation: A Short Letter To My Fatherland by Femi Alonge.

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Dear Fatherland,  I am the voice of pro-nationalism, and I write to you with a heavy but hopeful heart. I write to you with urgency and resolve, so that you may understand the gravity of the issue at hand.  There have been multiple allegations and demonstrations that question the basis of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). It is disturbing that SARS, an official national security unit, is publicly viewed by the Nigerian citizenry as an object of terror. Thus, the persons who were supposed to be beneficiaries are now victims of their internal security, or better still, in-security.  Furthermore, there have been several claims and reports of Nigerians who have been assaulted, harassed, brutalized, or extra-judicially killed by SARS. Nigerian youths, journalists, human rights groups, and lawyers, among others, have publicly condemned these unconstitutional acts. From the several news reports and public SARS demonstrations, there is sufficient evidence to allude to their brutality and extrajudicial killings. The fact speaks for itself. The proof lies in the pool of blood on the streets, the grief, and the agony in the air. Ultimately, the Nigerian people are agitated and call for the outright abolition of the special police force unit, while only a few support a reformation. Which is better?  This is the question we must answer. However, we must understand where we are coming from to know where we are going. SARS is a security unit that appeared on the Nigerian scene in the military era of 1992.[i] The team was created to detain, investigate, and prosecute armed robbery perpetrators. Thus, SARS became a security parastatal empowered to eradicate cases of robbery and other related crimes in the country. Today, there is nationwide unrest, as members of the SARS unit incessantly torture and arbitrarily wreak brutality on the masses.  Accordingly, this is why I have over 200 million reasons to support the reformation of SARS – one for each Nigerian. However, I do not support abolition. Hear my express thoughts on the issue at hand.  If SARS is abolished, we should ask ourselves; who will fill the vacuum created in the combat against assault and robbery operations? SARS is the only anti-robbery dedicated to combatting robbery operations in a country with a high rate of violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery at 71.65%.[ii] Thus, if we are to go by the mischief rule of interpretation, the primary objective for which SARS was created still exists. So, why abolish a system that is combatting the menace it was designed to tackle due to operational defects? In such a situation, the ideal thing will be to focus energy on resolving such defects.  It is vital to state that SARS has boycotted several robbery operations due to its search and seizure powers. Therefore, the issue is when innocent citizens are harassed and brutalized based on suspicion. This means that the problem is not with the idea behind SARS, but their modus operandi and the individuals at the wheel of implementation. It is true that 2015[iii] and 2019[iv] SARS reformations merely announced SARS’ departmentalization into operational and investigation units, and decentralization, respectively. However, a change of name does not correspond to a change of methods or results – action is needed.  What is required is a sustainable framework that will restructure the operations of SARS to specifically address violent crimes. Thus, these are the reasons for my position, and why I propose the following three steps to an actionable reformation of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit known as SARS:  Reformation of the powers of SARS and the NPF unit regarding their use of force or firearms: this implies that the use of brute force or firearms by SARS officers should be restricted to specific situations of imminent threat or danger – danger to their lives or those of others, and their properties. The 1999 Nigerian Constitution[v] indeed allows for the broad use of lethal force, and the Force Order 237 significantly permits the use of force.[vi] However, none of these provisions empower SARS operatives to harm innocent citizens, or shoot to kill persons who do not attempt to resist arrest or pose an imminent threat. Thus, this brings me to the next point below.  Prosecution of felonious acts and extrajudicial killings of defaulting SARS officers: one other primary reason for the nationwide agitation is the non-condemnation and non-prosecution of SARS officers perpetuating these preposterous acts under the disguise of official duty. It will serve as a check on arbitrary use of force and abuse of powers if defaulting SARS officers are made an example of in the courtrooms or detention facilities.  Medical evaluation: this means that all officers should be subjected to weekly medical check-ups to test for the use of drugs and narcotics and to assess their psychological state. This medical report system will help put SARS operatives in check and ascertain the competence and sanity of these security officials to appropriately exercise their duties.  I urge you to listen to the grieving mother’s crying tears and the widowed wife’s young orphan. I ask that you reason with my plea for security and foster law and order in the country. I encourage you to adopt my honest recommendations for the SARS reformation.  I look forward to a better Nigeria.  Yours truly,  Signed: the voice of pro-nationalism.            REFERENCES  [i] Nnadozie, E. (2017, December 23). How I founded SARS in the Police – RTD CP Midenda. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/12/founded-sars-police-rtd-cp-midenda/ .  [ii] Crime in Nigeria. (2020, October). Numbeo. Retrieved from https://www.numbeo.com/crime/country_result.jsp?country=Nigeria.  [iii] Police IG splits anti-robbery squad, SARS, to check abuses. (2015, August 7). Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved from https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/187989-police-ig-splits-anti-robbery-squad-sars-to-check-abuses.html.  [iv] Pulse Nigeria. (2019, January 21). IGP Adamu orders immediate disbandment of SARS. Retrieved from https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/sars-igp-adamu-orders-immediate-disbandment-of-police-unit/yenlxxw.  [v] The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN).  [vi] Law on police use of force in Nigeria. (2020, July 2). The Law on Police Use of Force. Retrieved from https://www.policinglaw.info/country/nigeria.      Femi Alonge is a goal-driven law student aspiring to become a top-tier legal practitioner with global recognition in the corporate and commercial law practice. He wrote in via femialonge247@gmail.com

Essays, Writers

An Overview Of The Operations Of SARS: A Call For Reformation by Folarin Oluwatimilehin.

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Two years ago, I decided to accompany my elder brother – Oluwasayo to pay our grandmother a visit in the village. Shockingly, men well dressed in the uniform of one of the security agencies in the state appeared in our front, bizarrely looking at the vehicle we were in. “Good afternoon men of the law,” my brother muttered while gazing at them lustrously. As usual, he presented his driving documents and was about to continue with the journey when a hefty man stepped out of a car painted in black. He whispered to one of his boys, “Is that young man refusing to cooperate?” Inexplicably, my auricle sent the sound waves to my tympanic membrane. I became bewildered and was out of clue on what will likely supervene.  Shortly, while distending his right hand towards our vehicle, one of the men in uniform was expecting my brother to give out part of his hard-earned money. “It seems you are teasing,” Oluwasayo shouted. “You are going nowhere if you fail to comply with us young man,” another hefty man said as he pointed a gun in our direction. At this moment, I was flabbergasted with what I was seeing. We had no other option than to consent to the coerced norms of giving those men in uniform some cash they do not deserve.   Nevertheless, I did not pay attention to the name inscribed on their uniform until last weekend when I had to recall that those lads who exhibited the unscrupulous act that fateful day are now being painted all over the social media. Recently, there have been massive demonstrations against the presence of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) – a petrifying anti-crime unit of the Nigeria Police Force. This followed after numerous exasperating and appalling acts they perpetrate.  Engrossed in curiosity to comprehend the history of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the land, I came across some awe-inspiring realities. According to the founder of SARS that was instituted in 1992 – Simeon Danladi Midenda, Anti-Robbery is a special approach of the Nigeria Police Force to conquer the superfluous robbery cases in the nation. He further stated that SARS initially stayed undercover, monitoring radio communication of conventional police operatives. As a result, on hearing the trumpet of a robbery incident, SARS would go out with speed, dispersing in different teams to predetermined locations.  Interestingly, the early days of this security body christened SARS gained colossal appraisal in Lagos in the 1990s when they never stood on the road looking for robbers, but rather, skillfully track them unannounced. Simeon Danladi also remarkably said, “We did not receive direct complaints from members of the public but allowed the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to do their job and transfer to us ingrained armed robbery cases for further follow-up actions.” This is to ensure that the duties of SARS are carried out impeccably with their identity undisclosed to the general public.  Sadly, how the operation of SARS got to where it is today is highly disheartening. There has been an evident deviation from the original concept, and the controversies engulfing SARS in recent days cannot be addressed unless the definition of headway is reconsidered. Mandatorily, they should undergo reorientation and afterwards, evaporate from public view and stay faceless as they were in the early days of their establishment.  Further reinforcing the disgusting acts perpetrated by the special law enforcement agency in the nation, ‘Sahara reports’ stated that in the South-East zone, N9.35Billion (over 60 Million US Dollars) was illegitimately made from 1,350 Check-points in 18 Months. Strangely, nothing less than N3.5 Billion has been lost by the people to kidnappers in the same zone since 2007.[1] This is to show that the primary duties of the security body in question have been left unattended to. However, they are ecstatically deriving pleasure in exploiting the populace.  Also, Nigerian rapper and actor, Ikechukwu Onunaku, stated his dissatisfaction over being assailed by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad at the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State. The famous rapper said that “SARS operatives pulled him out of the Uber he was in, bundled him into their Hilux van, and drove him to Lagos Island.” Further expressing his dissatisfaction with the ugly incident that befell him, Ikechukwu made known to the public that the SARS operatives said they would implicate him if he dared to prove stubborn.”[2]    Unarguably, the proliferation of anti-crime operations that ought to be targeted at curtailing crimes by the federal police has resulted in barbarous, unbearable, and degrading treatment of the citizens, especially the youths. It is now a crime for an average Nigerian who works so hard to purchase iPhone from funds gotten from business, scholarships, or other lawful means. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad has also made the use of laptops with high specification a crime in this present dispensation. A young lad with an expensive laptop which he/she uses for rendering 3D projects, modeling of world-class structural designs, or other similar purposes, will not be allowed to live in peace in the world where SARS tends to be threatening youth existence.      Joyfully, in December 2014, songs of praises saturated the atmosphere of the nation when police authorities launched ‘human rights manual’ proscribing the cruelty and other ill-treatment of citizens. Buttressed by international bodies and civil society groups in Nigeria, the manual was embraced for use in all police training colleges as part of the police reform, and to address concerns about police delinquency. However, in practice, SARS has failed to implement the instructions in the manual.[3] So sad!    Grabbing the bull by the horn, truth be told, the legal system in Nigeria needs to be questioned. According to S.O Nnamani, a lecturer of International Law and Jurisprudence, human rights are those privileges that all individuals should enjoy by the virtue of their humanity. Human rights protect individuals against oppression, exploitation, and many other social ills.[4] If this holds true, the malicious actions by men in uniform in the nation are not just insults to our human rights, but also a public display of the failed legal system in the land. If not for the continued crying by the masses on Twitter, we would be voluntarily wallowing in the ocean of extortion, assault, and murder forever.    However, rather than abolishing the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, and expose the nation to frequent theft, Police training and assessment need to be rejuvenated, reinforced, and revived. This calls for the reformation of SARS to a new unit with firsthand structural operations for a better and improved service delivery. The re-organization of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad should be engineered towards ensuring international core values are attained. Also, integrity and patriotism should be the watchword of all security men.    Going forward, an independent unit should be set up to solidify the use of modernised defensive measures such as surveillance cameras. Likewise, unique tactics must be employed under the umbrella of anonymity for effective spatial crime detection. In doing so, the new set of standard policies will safeguard the interest of the people. Not just being one-sided in a crucial judgmental moment, I will have to reiterate it again that abolishing SARS will only result in an amplified rate of robbery cases because many people will take advantage of the loophole to establish their long-hidden desire to cause havoc by engaging in recurrent burgling. Hence, a reformation will be a more appropriate option.    In conclusion, with the hashtag #EndSARS enveloping the atmosphere of the social media last weekend, it is imperative to dance to the tune of the

Blog, Essays

The Audacity Of Impunity by Segun Awosanya

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The series of unfortunate events (dearth of National cum internal security due to over concentration on Regime Security) in the past 3years in Nigeria clearly demonstrate that there is no rights to personal liberty in Nigeria. Despite the fact that the clarity of the 1999 constitution as amended on that matter is obvious to the blind- “Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.” — Section 34 (1) The Impunity of our police service especially those of the special Anti-Robbery Squad is alarming. The purpose of policing has since be altered for some evil agenda weaponized against the innocent citizenry, with an unwritten clear mandate to terrorize the youth of our nation based on recent data as mined by the #EndSARS #ReformPoliceNG Movement over one year of advocacy. There are growing Concerns on adolescent killings across Nigeria. — Emeka Ojinze obtained his VISA to the UAE to study alternative energy sources but was killed in the Anambra in 2017) by a Policeman seeking to extort him, He was 23. Angela Nkechi Igwetu, a corper in Abuja, with just a few hours to passing out, but was gunned down by a trigger happy Police officer. She was 23. Richard Peter Gora was tortured to death by Policemen over a N10,000 Phone he allegedly bought in the market, purported by police to have been stolen in Kaduna. He was 22. Sofiyat Yekin, a nursing mother in Bodija Ibadan, Oyo State, was gunned down by a police while displaying their show of force while intimidating innocent youth in the area for extortion. She was 23. Final year student Salisu Haruna, plunged to his death in a well in Ekpoma Edo State, while trying to escape the religious abduction by the special anti-cultist squad (SACS) that terrorizes the hostel he visited. He wasn’t found until days later. He was 23. Mrs Kudirat was killed by the bullet of SARS operatives showing force and high handedness while chasing young boys perceived indiscriminately by them to be yahoo boys. There are many others shot in the head in public, and several okada riders & bus drivers killed over bribes. Studies also have shown that over 2000 persons have been killed extrajudicially in the past 10years by the police without any closure on the cases and a plethora of cases of abduction and unjust incarceration without charges running into thousands across Nigeria. Suffice to say that the abuse of human rights in Nigeria is becoming a culture. It is helpful to think about what keeps criminals under control in our society. Ask any sane police officer globally: it is not the police and the courts who keep criminals at bay. It is the society as a whole. It is the ordinary people who call the police when they hear a problem starting. It is the ordinary people who trust the police and cooperate with them to bring criminals to justice. That public trust is held by a thin line which only works when it is backed up by the vast majority of ordinary people. This, by the way, is why police brutality is so damaging to law and order in our society. If ordinary people lose trust in the police, they wonʼt call and they wonʼt cooperate. If they fear that calling the police to solve crime could result in their neighborsʼ kids being shot dead, they wonʼt call. And they also wonʼt cooperate in more serious cases. Without community back up, the “thin line of trust” starts to feel very thin indeed. And criminals become bolder. Today, Citizens are violated by Police every 45minutes if not less across Nigerian major cities. Only a fraction of these human rights abuses is reported. Of the reported cases 90% border on armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom using police stations as bases or driving round in circles on our highways while inflicting horrendous physical and psychological damages to their innocent victims. A wise man once said our adaptability can be both a blessing and a curse, a prolonged look upon wonder and abomination begins to make them mundane. The system, however, is not broken, it was built that way leading to the current spiraling execrable standards of the modern day when compared to what is obtainable in saner climes. We have journeyed from domesticity to embracing primitivism under the oppression and impunity of a vile and anachronistic police system. But each time the people demand accountability, it is often met with media costuming and prevarication. They begin to mention training, addition of tags and dramatic reactions that simply move furniture around without any definite, effective or meaningful restructuring. A Yoruba apothegm aptly states that it is not he who was struck by a reckless driver that makes mental note of the registration number of the vehicle. Those ignorantly chanting the litotes of Police with the suggestion of reformation of SARS must understand that the culture of impunity of SARS has been ingrained in the system thus becoming a metastasized cancer which will require a total shutdown before it destroys the entire police system which can still be salvaged if we act fast enough. In this situation where our policing system has been hijacked by ethnic brigade as balkanized, with bold unconscionable pronouncements by the police on the daily, just to maintain the status quo of the ecology of their delicate organized crime syndicate, it clearly demonstrates the ominous tragedy that lies in wait. We must not culture cancer but ensure it is severed (EndSARS), while we intensively and surgically focus on a holistic reform of the police system (ReformPoliceNG). A government that cannot protect the lives and properties of her citizens lacks legitimacy. As likened to a man who procures a fast horse at the expense of feeding his children…thus stripped of his income by a sane and conscious society. In the face of overwhelming statistical evidence, There is no point disagreeing

Blog, Essays, Monishots

Saraki will do well to ignore the lousy IGP.

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Sometimes by losing a battle, you find a new way to win the war ~ Donald J Trump I am not a fan of the police, few Nigerians are so I can comfortably say I belong to the majority here. I am also not a fan of this particular IGP, not just because he pales out abysmally in comparison with recent predecessors he is also controversially lousy. Perhaps with the exception of Suleiman Abba who was removed by former President Jonathan for stupidly switching loyalty to then President-Elect Buhari, there is little chance of placing IGP Idris side by side with any other IGP in the past decade. If I am asked to name one Buhari appointee that should be shown the door, it will be a tough decision between him and the beret-wearing Mr. “Spended Money”. I am also not a fan of our Senators, again, few Nigerians are, neither am I a supporter of the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki. As a matter of fact, I have previously written to criticise the way he usurped the Senate leadership by sabotaging his party and wrongly predicted his downfall. However, I must admit that I have come to respect and admire him a lot. He has an uncommon combination of the ruthlessness and elan required to navigate the murky waters of politics more especially our type of politics. And to those who say he is presiding over a house filled with sleazy brigands, I can only remind them that besides David Mark no other Senate President has lasted longer in that house that has continually recycled similar characters since the Fourth Republic. So love or hate him, one cannot but agree that Bukola has filled his late father’s shoes and will likely surpass Oloye’s achievements. But Saraki may now be overplaying his card, he cannot afford to lose sight of the big bounty which is the 2019 general elections because a lot is at stake for his political future and specifically the next four years. Here are some of the reasons why he should tread carefully. The politics that played out in his emergence as the Senate President left his party which won the presidency and the national assembly in a quandary of which they are yet to recover from. Long after his contemporary in the House of Representatives had settled the divergent political interests within the APC, Saraki was still embroiled in bitter disputes with his party leadership and by extension the executive. The corollary of this was the protracted false asset declaration by the CCT which not only hampered the primary duty of legislation but pitted the Senate against the Executive in a war of attrition which was always destined to in the usual way, a victory for the piper. That he survived the onslaught was partly due to the non-partisan support from colleagues and a politically brokered deal that left the matter pending at the Supreme Court. That reprieve is temporary and he knows so. Unlike in 2015 when his support cut across party lines Oloye Junior now has a swelling list of adversaries within the Red Chambers. The first is Senator Ali Ndume, former Senate leader and one of Saraki’s fierce loyalists. Till date, I still fail to understand why Saraki didn’t manage the Magu affair better considering that the Presidency wanted the man. I mean there are certain battles you to stoop to conquer. By suspending Ndume whose travail started when he rightly pressed for the confirmation of Magu his kinsman, Saraki may have sent a clear message that he was in charge but he also created a formidable foe in a veteran lawmaker who has the backing of his state and perhaps the entire North East, a region with an unflinching loyalty to President Buhari. Today Ndume is not only back, he is almost certain to return in 2019 and Magu remains the Acting Chairman of the EFCC. Having led several investigations into Saraki’s affair in the past it is no secret that Magu has the Senate President’s dossier on his palm and will be more than willing to unleash same whenever required by his bosses. In a previous piece, I did say that any discerning political observer will expect the battle for political power to get fiercer as we inch towards the 2019 general elections and there will be no better stage than the National Assembly as the pro and anti-Buhari legislators lock horns. That stage was set when Senator Abdullahi Adamu led a walk out on his colleagues as amendments to the Electoral Act which effected a change in the election schedule were passed. Adamu was subsequently removed as the Chairman of the Northern Senators forum and accused of embezzling 70m. I can imagine the ex-governor whom the Senate President often refers to as an ‘elder statesman’ will be more incensed at the meager and insulting amount than at losing his position. Whatsmore his file is also sitting at Magu’s table and he will be eager to do the EFCC a favour against the Senate President in future. And finally, the former Kwara state governor appears to have met the toughest challenge to his grip on the Senate in Omo Agege. The Delta Central Senator has been one of the most vocal pro-Buhari Senators since he dumped the Labour Party for APC, and promptly joined the Abdullahi led group of nine to make critical comments on the Senate’s handling of the electoral act amendment. Saraki reacted swiftly, using his henchman Dino Melaye to accuse Omo-Agege of disparaging the Senate. Not even an open apology by the Omo-Agege could save him from Saraki’s big stick as he was suspended on the recommendation of the ethics committee. But the Ughelli born lawmaker would not go down quietly like Ndume. In a Gestapo style operation, he allegedly led thugs to snatch the mace while Saraki was attending a function in faraway America. And after a brief visit to the police, Omo Agege regained his freedom

Blog, Essays

We are waiting and watching by Cardinal Okogie

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Whoever loves Nigeria should be concerned about the security of life and property within her borders. It affects all of us across party, ethnic and religious lines. It affects the rich and the poor. Unfortunately, it can, and it ought to be said that our political leaders constitute the greatest threat to security in this country, not armed robbers nor kidnappers, not Boko Haram nor herdsmen. Nigerians are currently forced to watch a show of shame by the ruling party of today and the ruling party of yesterday. Such are accusations and counter-accusations of looting that Nigerians find it difficult to differentiate between the accuser and the accused. Huge sums of money belonging to the people of Nigeria obviously got into wrong hands and for wrong reasons. There are good reasons to suspect that the looting that took place cut across party lines. Nigerians deserve to know how, for example, the two leading parties financed their campaigns in 2015. But instead of honest answers, we are treated by the two big parties to a theatrical display of politically motivated compilation of lists of looters. We are forced to say what Jesus said to the accusers of the adulterous woman in the Gospel: whoever has not sinned let him cast the first stone. Nigeria is like the man in the Gospel according to Luke who, travelling on the way to Jericho, fell into the hands of armed robbers who attacked him and left him for dead. Nigerians are impoverished by those who are put in charge of her enormous resources while our political leaders live in affluence. The standard of living continues to nosedive. And while politicians display ill-gotten wealth at birthday and wedding parties, there is widespread dilapidation of infrastructure. Our government got a friendly reminder recently. Counselled to invest resources on the people of Nigeria, its apologists, as usual, insulted the messenger. Has Bill Gates become a wailer and a looter, as critics of this government are often labelled? Two sectors were singled out in Gates’ discourse—education and health. It was a simple reminder of the saying: healthy minds in healthy bodies. Young Nigerians see how their future flies away from them, while those responsible for its flight buy properties in Dubai and elsewhere. We have enough to revamp the education and health sectors and secure the future of our children and children’s children. But our schools and hospitals are in decay. The money needed to keep them has been stolen while those who corner the money send their children to the best schools in Europe and North America. They even go to those places to treat a common headache at the expense of the ordinary Nigerian. As a result of the poverty visited on our people, especially our youths, it becomes easy to recruit them into all kinds of militia as another season of elections approaches. So we move from one unending season of insecurity to another. The fire of Boko Haram is yet to be extinguished. Government officials tell us Boko Haram is “degraded” or “technically defeated.” The same officials tell us they are discussing ceasefire terms with a defeated army. What a contradiction! This same “degraded” Boko Haram cruised in a convoy into Dapchi, abducted over 100 young schoolgirls without the Nigerian Army firing a shot, cruised back a few days later to return the girls, again, the Nigerian Army was nowhere to be found. If a defeated army can walk in and out of Nigeria with so much ease, like a hot knife through butter, what will an undefeated army do to us! As we speak, Leah Shabiru, one of the girls is still in captivity because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. A few days after her mates were released, the Inspector General of Police was on television assuring Nigerians she would be released in just a few hours. In just a few hours, the story changed. The boss of the Nigerian Police said he was misunderstood. Do government officials take us for fools? Nigerians of today are no fools! While the Boko Haram inferno continues, murderous herdsmen emerged, killing innocent Nigerians in a brutal reminder that government is either unable or unwilling to secure this land and its people. Nigerians hear of complaints by state governors accusing some soldiers and policemen of acts prejudicial to security. It is sad to hear such stories because there are young men and young women in the army and in the police in this country who have been sent to their early graves while protecting us. It is sad to hear that they are being betrayed by those who ought to be their comrades. What a Nation! But we must not generalise. Not all our soldiers and policemen and women are traitors. Yet, the need to sanitise these two institutions has attained grave urgency. In the same way, while there are peaceful and law-abiding herdsmen in this country, there is a militia of herdsmen terrorizing this country. The call to self-defence by a retired army general should cause apprehension. The legitimacy of self-defence is not in doubt. But who, in this season of partisanship, will check its modality, the morality of its means. Unchecked, that can open another chapter of bloodshed in this country. Instead of indecently jostling for positions in 2019, the immoral electioneering propaganda that has replaced good governance, and the vicious fight over whose turn it is to capture the pot of honey that Nigeria’s wealth is, our politicians across party lines should stop and ponder: what type of Nigeria are we handing over to our children and to our children’s children? Whether our political leaders in all the parties will seek wise answers to that question is left to be seen. That is why we are still watching and waiting. Source: The Guardian

Blog, Essays

The South African police must stop killing Nigerians.

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“We have reported similar killings to the South African Government and Nigeria High Commission in South Africa and nothing was done to bring the culprits to book. “We want the Nigerian Government to intervene to stop this brutality against innocent Nigerians and stop killing Nigerians out of hatred, racism or xenophobia,’’ ~ Kanayo Onwumelu, Chairman, Western Cape chapter of the union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) South African Policemen As a crisis-ridden September came to an end with calm restored after the IPOB/Military clashes, I found time to do a piece on an issue that has been a fixture in the news. It is a source of concern especially for me given the number of my friends and relatives resident in South Africa. On the 17th of August 2017, I read that a Nigerian was brutally killed by the South African police. The victim, Mr. Uchenna Emmanuel Eloh was reportedly strolling towards a bus park near his home when he was accosted by the police for an on-the-spot search. A usual approach when they suspect an individual might be in possession of an illegal substance. The often routine task turned awry when the policemen assumed that he swallowed the substance and held him by the neck in a bid to stop him. It wasn’t long before he started foaming in the mouth and eventually died from asphyxiation. Two weeks later the media reported that the Nigeria Union in South Africa confirmed the killing of another of its member by the police. Mr. Kingsley Ikeri, a 27-year-old businessman from Imo state was said to have been killed by the police in Kwazulu Natal Province on the 30th of August. While these stories were still being hotly debated we were shocked by yet another incident. On the 7th of September Vanguard reported that Mr. Clement Ofoma, 35, was said to have been tortured to death after about 10 policemen arrested him for allegedly dealing in drugs. And just a few days ago Ibrahim Badmus was reportedly slain by a police officer. Again and again and again we are assailed with series of similar tragic news and what do we get? Another outrage, another round of condemnation from both governments but the sad reality is that Nigerian families continue losing loved ones with scant chances of ever getting justice. Other victims of this deplorable onslaught against Nigerians include Gideon Ogalaonye, Monday Okorie, Adeniyi Olumoko and Christian Onwukaike, among many others. These stories are depressing, to say the least, and even more so given that there are no indications of these killings abating anytime soon. I say this because I am aware that the South African police is corrupt, so the perpetrators can easily bribe away these murders under the carpet. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa recently revealed that 116 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa via extrajudicial means in the last two years. This figure roughly works out to one per week. Juxtapose the aforementioned facts with the recurrent xenophobic attacks (the last of which occurred in 2015) and it may be right to say that Nigerians are endangered species in South Africa. It is now an emergency and every responsible government must rise to the task of securing its citizens wherever they reside. To examine this worrisome trend and proffer solutions it is essential to present a synopsis of some of the numerous causes (direct and indirect) of the extrajudicial killing of immigrants by state actors with particular reference to South Africa. Whereas it is universally acknowledged that modern states need the police and in some cases, the use of force to provide security, there is a disturbing aberration between the proportionality and necessity of such use in many African nations. It is, therefore, no surprise that excessive use of force was a major factor identified by a study prepared for the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings in Africa. This is particularly so in South Africa where the police force is a fusion of several police organizations much of which had a notorious reputation for brutality, especially during the apartheid era. A 2002 report by Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development (Afronet) revealed that a total of 2174 people died in the hands of the police between 1997 and 2000. About 95% of this figure resulted from police action. Sadly there is little the Nigerian government can do about this particular issue. Even though international criminal and humanitarian law take a more stringent view of command responsibility and excessive use of force, the brotherly diplomacy between two African nations will have to be exhausted before Nigeria will consider going further. What we can do, however, is to provide regular counseling for our citizens over there on informal social control and cooperation with the police. The Nigerian embassy in Pretoria can easily arrange this. South Africa also had the unenviable record of 6 cities among the 10 most dangerous cities in a recent report by worldatlas.com. Furthermore, the ubiquitous proliferation of firearms contributes in no small measure to the high rate of attacks against law enforcement agents. Whereas existing laws for gun ownership require the applicant to be a South African citizen or a permanent resident, the increased use of illegal short guns for violent crimes lays bare the porosity of the country’s gun laws. A 2015 report by businesstech showed that South Africa had the second highest rate of gun-related deaths in the world. It is therefore not surprising that public opinion seems to endorse brutality by the police and even suggest further arming when the reverse should be the case. Nigerians should be properly educated on these laws to avoid illegal gun ownership which often makes them easy targets for the police. Again, dissemination of such information should be a simple matter. Bulk messages and regular reminders to citizens on the embassy database will go a long way in informing them properly. The South African police

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