The Inspector General of Police,
Solomon Arase, who just clocked a full year in office, in an interview with
Vanguard Newspaper, spoke on his dreams for the Police Force, the plans to
eradicate corruption and other steps taken that might actually make the
citizenry gain a mustard seed-sized faith in the police again.
Bearing in mind that faith the size
of a mustard seed can move mountains- even that of insecurity!
Of late, Nigeria has waded in tumultuous waters in terms of security, the protection of citizen’s lives and properties.
From the Niger Delta militants
to the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists and now the rampaging Fulani
herdsmen, there has always been a threat to the seam of national unity which
appears to be stronger than our security forces.
In addition to the lack of
trust Nigerians have in the government’s will to protect their lives and properties,
the nation’s police officers have over the years further tainted the
security institution by extorting, oppressing and trampling on the rights of
the citizens they have so failed to protect.
Policemen to undergo psychological
and substance abuse test before receiving firearm
Following many instances of trigger
happy police officers ready to shoot at innocent citizens over flimsy matters,
the IGP says: “Initially, killing as a result of arms misuse was prevalent
and the strategy we adopted was very simple. I said no Nigerian, including
policemen, is immune to the criminal justice system; you kill in Nigeria, you
go for it. That has been my approach and seven officers, since that
pronouncement, are undergoing prosecution and the incidences have reduced but
we did not stop there. I also talked about applying psychological test. I am
sure you were all there when we launched the testing packs.
“Now, for medical doctors in each of
the geo-political zones, I have directed they should move out so that once
police officers are on parade and they want to go on duty; before we give them
fire arms, we could do some snap checks which is supposed to act as a
psychological prevention from what is going to happen because, if you know I am
going to test you for the use of substance, the likelihood is you wouldn’t want
to do that and, if we discover that you use it, then we wouldn’t give you fire
arms and you face sanction.”
Nigerian policemen would soon
migrate from carrying guns to using stun-guns
As part of the plans to curb the
trigger happy police officers, the Solomon Arase revealed that “we are beginning
to migrate from the use of fire arms for patrols in main cities to stun guns.
We have ordered for some stun guns. Even the people we are going to recruit now
(10, 000); the main training we are going to give to them will be especially in
the use of stun guns.
“That is what is prevalent
internationally and stun guns are very effective because they can incapacitate
you temporarily without killing you. So we are also doing that but I think the
incidences have reduced. They (policemen) know I will prosecute them if they
try it (substance) and they don’t want to dare me because they know I love them
too and I have also put things in place to guarantee their welfare.
“I have built them houses, I have
given their children scholarship and I am telling them if they do any of those
things they won’t be able to access those welfare policies I put in place. I
will promote them too. So if I promote you, I give you houses plus retirement
houses and I also take care of your children I expect that you should be able to
say I have given you so much. So what is causing your emotional distress
because sometimes most of these things are caused by emotional distress?”
Police is embracing intelligent
policing to make life more comfortable for Nigerians
It would appear that our own police
force is gradually departing from its old and archaic ways and embracing more
technology as well as intelligence gathering based investigations to make life
easier for Nigerians. This is how the IGP puts it: “Intelligence-led
policing isn’t restricted to technology alone. It is also not restricted to
investigation techniques. The minute you adopt a style of investigation where
evidence is assembled before people are arrested, that is intelligence-led
policing. You can also use intelligence in terms of technical platforms you put
in place and I have put sufficient platforms in place; that is why I can tell
Nigerians, you can do your clearance certificate online, you can do your tint
permit online, fire arm permit online.
Police would stop dabbling into
civil and commercial matters
Furthermore, the police boss said: “All
these areas that I have identified used to cause Nigerians discomfort, I have
automated them to make them seamless processes and those technologies are up
and running. They are things that can’t be changed because they are
institutionalized.
“We are also saying that, apart from
intelligence policing, which will reduce pre-trial detention and also crowded
awaiting trial prison cells, we can also teach them alternative dispute resolution.
It isn’t every matter that is reported that a policeman is supposed to
start taking statements; that is my own take. If the matter is civil, why can’t
you mediate? If it is commercial, why can’t you arbitrate and let them go? You
just restrict yourself to those criminal matters.”
Police is curbing corruption
The sight of a policeman demanding
for monetary incentives from citizens would not be new to anyone who has spent
up to 30 minutes on Nigerian soil. The scourge of policemen demanding for bribes
in the discharge of some duty that the citizens do not know about has been
entrenched into the Nigerian setting so much that it has now become normal to
see commercial motorists stretching their hands out ‘tipping’ police officers
at checkpoints. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the corruption that has
enveloped the security institution.
The IGP revealed the plans
undertaken by the force to curb the excessive behaviors of the officers across
the country: “…I have deliberately put in place structures that will
discourage corruption in the system. Removal of road blocks, the establishment
of the Complaints Response Unit, establishment of ‘Stop The Bribes’, all these
are platforms that I have put in place to discourage corruption because if
officers know that if they collect money they can be reported to that platform
and action will be taken against them; if they know that they can be reported
on the Complaint Response Unit and action will be taken against them, then it
discourages corruption.
“The roadblock was actually not a
good crime prevention strategy; it was there and this is also an area where, to
the public, as you know, was nauseating to see a law enforcement officer
on the highway stretching his hand to a commercial bus driver and collecting
money. A lot of people out there never believed that roadblocks could be away
for one year. I think I have done my bit; it is left to Nigerians to
interface with those platforms and also say ‘no you can’t intimidate us, we are
Nigerians’, so it is a symbiotic relationship; the people have to key into it.”
The herdsmen situation will never
degenerate into Boko Haram-type
As expected, the police boss spoke
tough on the rampant killings accredited to Fulani herdsmen across the country.
He however had a new angle to the killings as he theorized that the rampaging
herdsmen might actually not be Fulani…or Nigerians at that.
“This challenge is situated against
the backdrop of what is happening within the African region. When you look at
the period that these things are happening, you look at the crisis in the
Maghreb, then you look at the flow of arms across our borders, what is
happening is better explained.
“Our indigenous herdsmen, who we
have been living with for many years, are law abiding people; so why is
it that we have the attacks now that there are crises in Mali, Libya,
Chad and all these countries where proliferation of fire arms is more prevalent
in the system?
“So we have to look at it against
that background. If they have indigenous collaborators or something like that,
it doesn’t mean it will get to the level of Boko Haram. We will continue to
monitor them, we will continue to degrade them; we will continue to amputate
them.”
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