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Playing by the Rules

by nextierspd

Police brutality is a regular phenomenon in Nigeria. Although this prevalence is not peculiar to Nigeria as there are cases of police harassment in other climes. However, frequent incidents in Nigeria is worrisome. For instance, owing to perceived harassment of black people in the United States of America, an online campaign hash-tagged ‘Black Lives Matter’ was kicked off. The campaign is a stiff response to cases of police brutality allegedly targeted at black people in America. In Nigeria, the unending cases of abuse triggered an online campaign hash-tagged ‘End SARS’. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is infamously known for the recklessness of some of its personnel in carrying out their duties.

Despite reforms by the Nigerian government, anecdotal accounts of abuse by the transformed SARS, now Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) have not reduced.  In the larger police structure, there are still constant issues of police harassment. Such incidents have often blurred the fine line between policing and harassment. Most cases clearly prove that some members of the Police Force are not playing by the rules. Few days ago, four policemen were arrested in connection to the death of a suspect in police custody. A report reveals that the suspect was tortured to death after a physical confrontation with some policemen on duty. Beyond this scenario are myriad other incidences that have gone unreported and without justice served. An article, The Police is you Friend argues that responsible governments often strive to eliminate these anomalies through policy reforms and prosecution of culprits. With an effective strategy, efforts will be targeted at improving the efficiency of security personnel in performing statutory duties within the stipulation of the law, with risks and rewards attached.

The current Nigeria Police Bill in the legislative chambers, hopefully, will reform the Police Force to be well-positioned to perform its constitutional duties of maintaining law and order. Equally, owing to rising security challenges, the reform will strengthen the capacity of existing structures to be able to tackle contemporary security dynamics. Beyond reforms also, defaulters of existing rules should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrence to future offenders. The phrase ‘the police is your friend’ should be practicable. This is so because, it requires the collaborative efforts of the security apparatus and citizens to make for a peaceful, safe and secure society. An instance where actions of security agents are contributing to criminality and also discouraging public support is tantamount to insecurity. Building public trust can only be achieved through professional conduct and efficient discharge of statutory functions. Hence, the narrative can only be changed when the cases of police brutality have significantly reduced.

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