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| The Police image is stained |
In a statement released by Jimoh Moshood, Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Abuja, on September 13th, 2017, the public was informed that the new Inspector General of Police,Creed for the force to live by as they conduct and relate with the citizens of Nigeria. This is commendable and reassuring that the top echelon of the Nigeria Police is indeed aware of the misconduct of their “boys” and they will not sit still without doing something about it. In addition, they also know the implication of such conducts on the way the Nigeria Police is perceived and related to by the people and the harrowing experience Nigerians go through in the hands of Police personnel. Knowing and understand a problem is said to be a midway to solving it. The IGP and his team have shown understanding of this peculiar police problem, the next question is, are they ready to lead the force out of it the bottom deep image? If this campaign is successful, this will forever remove indiscriminate and illegal arrest from the operations of the Nigeria Police.
IGP Ibrahim K. Idris has ordered the re-launch of “Bail is Free” campaign across the nation. The campaign is one of the IGP’s plans to reposition the Nigeria Police “to be more accountable, responsive, responsible and reliable under his leadership”. The IGP and his management have also carved out a
Previous Riot Act Reading by past IGPs immediately on their appointment has not yielded or removed any stains from the police image and perception but rather seem to leave bigger mud stains and a bigger question. Just as it is now, they have shown understanding and purpose but their effort seems to have fallen by the wayside with no positive impact on the Police way of operating and its image. As the same malady multiplied, persist and fester even days after their retirements. Consequently, IGP after IGP launched and re-launched campaign after campaign to solve the same issues. Subsequently, it became a Merry-Go-Round without any concrete achievement or a slight change in idiosyncrasy except, of course, the cost of the campaign and photography of the launching funfair and the eminent personalities at the event.
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| The new police CREED |
Every Police station can boast of either of these classic core values of policing inscribed on their wall: Police is your friend and/or Bail is Free. Yet these values are violated with impunity and a wave of the hand with a popular question peculiar to the police personnel “Na that one I go chop?” Or “who that one epp now?” These idiosyncrasies and ways of during things for personal gains in every circumstance and situation no matter how inconsequential or who is involved has brought the whole community of police to disrepute and disrespect. The tasks before IGP Idris is to walk the talk by enforcing the rules and letting any fall guy(s) take the fall. That will impress home the point that the Police establishment is tired and done with take the bullets for it unruly personnel. The wrong application of the comradeship has been responsible for the shabby outlook of the police establishment image and persistent in uncivil attitude of the force as the Police used its position as the implementer of the law to shield his notorious members from the law. Just like an over-pampered child, the police personnel misbehave and get rewarded for it.
It is also time for other stakeholders in law and justices to take action to protect and enlighten the citizenry on their rights and the fact that those rights are worth dying for. Nowhere in the whole wide world is your right given on a platter of gold, except of course communities that are committed to guaranteeing one another’s rights. It must be noted that everyone knows that Bail is free but the hurdles placed by officers in promptly release a detained or arrested person often leaves family members and friends with no option but to quickly secure the release of the person before police officers choose to upgrade the charges to more severe crime or before he was tortured to disability or death. Such stories are well documented incredible national dailies and magazines. It is common knowledge among the people that your relative in the force will transfer your case to a colleague just to ensure that all the financial juice flows. Some lawyers have also been known to encourage their clients to pay for bail, in fact, these set of lawyers are referred to as Charge and Bail lawyers.
Community people too must pay the price of knowing what their rights are under the Nigeria constitution, the process of getting justice and redress for themselves, family and community members without paying for bail. Failure to pay the price of learning, then they must be prepared to pay the price of ignorance, which is often quite expensive. Everything has a price, no matter how small. Only competent and constituted courts of law can order bail payment. They must also understand the process of seeking redress and reporting erring officers to the appropriate authority. Reporting erring officers are only the beginning of the process of getting justice, they must ensure that they prevail and continuously oil the wheel of justices until the erring officers are sanction and the victim grievance addressed.
We as community people must learn to appreciate information and prioritize our information storage. Most people do not know any emergency numbers in their respective communities yet most can quote the amount paid for transfers of the players by a league millions of miles away and have no significant bearing on their survival. Once more, knowing when to stand for some things will ensure you do not fall for anything. It is only when we can guarantee and secure the right of our neighbours, strangers and community individually and collectively, it is then ours will be guaranteed and secured. The IGP has started the process; let’s do our part as a community. You can report any erring officer to the “Area Commanders, The Command Public Relations Officers, Commissioner of Police or to the Force Public Relations Officer through the following Phone Nos. 07056792065, 08088450152, email: bailisfree@gmail.com, Police website: www.npf.gov.ng.”
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