A wake up call against police extortions

It seems the adage “Police is your friend” is fast losing its meaning in Nigeria. Many compatriots will rather have nothing to do with members of the force because of the likely bad experience they may encounter even as a complainant, who is expected to be protected and encouraged to report to the police personnel.

On the streets, on highways and at their stations, the stories have been that of police brutality and extortion that often made Nigerians to do all they can to avoid any encounter with the police .

Cases are numerous. Few weeks ago, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun had to travel to Ilorin, Kwara State to condole with the family of one Jimoh Abdulqadeer, who was said to have died in police custody after being detained following a report that he failed to settle a debt.

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Similarly, in October 2024, Sgt. Abraham Uzuobo, an officer attached to Edo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, was arrested for reportedly raping a minor detained at South-Ibie Police Division.

The suspect, a 17-year-old girl, was detained for allegedly receiving stolen property.

Uzobo was said to have sneaked into the cell after Inspector Edith Eduma, a female officer, who was on duty, stepped out briefly. He was said to have unlocked the cell, taking the teenager to the admin department where he reportedly took advantage of her.

But the twist to the story was that Inspector Eduma was later charged along with her husband for misconduct after it was discovered they extorted money from Uzobo with a promise not to report the rape case.

In Lagos, in November 2024, the police command summoned four policemen to explain their roles in the alleged extortion of N1 million from some members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

According to a post on X, the officers threatened the corps members before taking them to where they were “robbed.”

Also, the Nigerian Police Force’s Zone 16 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, detained an officer for allegedly extorting N10 million from a victim.

The zone 16 spokesperson, SP Gunn Ewhoborwo Emonema, said in a statement that the incident occurred on September 17, 2024.

These are just few of many incidents that happened to many Nigerians. It is now common for traders plying goods from one part of the country to the other to make provision for what they will give out at various police check points along their routes.

It is too early to forget the major protest, #EndSARS, against the anti- robbery squad, which engulfed the country leading to the disbandment of the outfit. Yet four years later, it appears not much has been learnt from the protest.

In a bid to contain the situation, the government has come up with a number of reforms and incentives to raise the living standard of the police personnel. In 2021, the federal government raised the salary of police personnel but it seems this has not have an effect on their conduct.

Successive police administrations have also introduced measures ranging from dedicated complaint desks to human rights units for members of the public to report any misconduct yet the situation has remained the same.

Recently, the IGP had to issue a stern warning to the personnel against arbitrary arrests, detention, and searching of phones of road users by police officers across Nigeria.

In a letter signed by the Department of Operations for the Force Headquarters, Egbetokun stated that such impunity and unlawful attitudes are portraying the Nigeria Police Force in bad light.

He warned that going forward, any police personnel caught indulging in the prohibited acts would be punished including the Commissioner of Police of the command and their supervisors.

Daily Trust believes much more drastic measures have to be taken given that the police need public confidence to discharge its duties effectively. It is also important if we are to tame the rising incidences of jungle justice, which is often the result of lack of confidence in the police to ensure justice in cases reported to them.

What this means is that the police authorities have to come up with new and innovative ways to deal with the situation.

We welcome the recent directive by the IGP for immediate public relations, human relations, and communication training for recruits across the 17 training institutions of the Force.

The IGP directed the Force PR Department to design a robust course outline in this regard and ensure the new intakes imbibe the culture and principles of PR, human relations and communication.

This is one way to improve the relationship between the ordinary Nigerian and the police. We note that the lower cadre of the force are more guilty of extortion cases and are the ones in constant touch with the public.

Going forward, the police authority should consider deploying technology, such as body cameras, to curb such incidents.

Again, the police authority can do well to scrutinise its recruitment process to ensure that it does not recruit bad elements into the force.

With the possibility of having a state police, it is urgent that measures are taken to sanitise the force to be a shining example to those who will be operating at the state commands. It is likely the force will serve as guardian to many state police commands.