By TochukwuEzukanma
Recently, many Nigerians vehemently denounced the SpecialAnti-Robbery
Squad (SARS) for its brutality, extortion and extra-judicialkillings. It
was very impressive that the uproar against SARS officers
promptedimmediate responses from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and
the Nigeriansenate. Both the IGP and the senate promised to investigate
the allegationsagainst the officers of SARS. In addition to investigation,
SARS needsreformation. However, as SARS is only a special unit of the
Nigerian police, anymeaningful reform of SARS will demand a reformation of
the entire Nigerianpolice.
I once heard on a radio program that the motto of theNigerian Police Force
is “to serve and protect”, that is, to serve and protectNigerians. By
whatever standards, the Nigerian Police Force has failed in its
assignedroles of serving and protecting Nigerians. According to the World
InternalSecurity and Police Index International, Nigeria has the worst
police force inthe world. And this ignominious distinction of the Nigerian
Police Force isevinced by its corruption, illegal arrests,
trigger-happiness, extra-judicialkillings, etc.
But, as we decry the Nigerian police for its multitudeof iniquities, we
should realize that it did not derail from its professionalideals of “to
serve and protect” but that it was never trained and orientated toserve
and protect the people. It started as a colonial police force. As such,its
original mission was to buttress colonial institutions and protect
thepowers and pretensions of the colonial masters, usually, at the
detriment ofthe indigenous peoples.
The historian, H.G.Creel, once wrote that, “The justification for
(colonialism) usually calls fora certain amount of mythology, imposed on
the people by propaganda”. The colonialists’ propaganda extolled the
superiority ofthe colonial masters and their way of life and denigrated
the indigenous peopleand their culture. To reinforce this falsehood of
superiority and inferiorityof races, they established rigidly stratified
class-structure that promotedexclusivity for the Whites (the elite), and
relegated the natives to secondclass citizenship. The original role of the
Nigerian police was to bolster this unjust and cruel colonial
socialstructure that made royals of the colonial masters and disparaged
and degradedNigerians.
But is it not perplexing that after fiftyseven years of independence the
Nigerian police continue to behaveas though they are still beholden to a
colonial power? This is because after Nigerian independence, theemergent
Nigerian power elite did not re-orient the police. They gleefully stepped
into theshoes of the departing colonial masters and became the new elite.
They took over the pretensions, privileges and prerogatives of
thecolonialists. Like thecolonial masters, their objectives and goals were
not always in consonant with theneeds, aspirations and the overall good of
the Nigerian public. Itwas not in their interest to build a post colonial
society founded on individualworth, equity and social justice.
Theyadopted the colonial masters’ attitude – deliberate scorn – towards
the masses.So, although the new power elite became Nigerians, their
contempt for the peopleand their indifference to their suffering remained
the same, exactly, as they werewhen the ruling elite were the White
colonizers. Consequently,they retained, and in some instances,
strengthened the oppressive andexploitative bequests of colonialism,
including the police force with its anti-peoplepenchant. The police force
is an indispensible instrument ofgovernance. It represents and serves the
powers that be. Its modus operandi, inevitably,reveals the attitude of the
governing towards the governed.
Presently, political power in Nigeria is anoverbearing tool of
self-absorbed power elite. It is essentially deployed againstthe public
good. Like the colonial elite, the Nigerian elite constituted itselfinto a
special group sheltered in a cocoon of privileges and slated to live
inbreathtaking opulence at the economic strangulation of the generality
ofNigerians. Also, like the colonial masters, they exercise their powers
in utterdisregard for the legitimate yearnings of the people.
For example: Governor Rochas Okorocha continues to moldstatues of
international figures at the cost of N520m each, but refuses to payworkers
and pensioners in his state; tens of millions of Nigerians are trappedin
desperate, raw-dirt poverty, and Nigeria has the social indices of the
worldpoorest countries, but her legislators are the highest paid
legislators in theworld; and while millions of workers and their families
subsist on N18, 000.00a month, N100m is to be spent for the replacement of
kitchen utensils in the president’sofficial residence. What can be
expected from a police force empowered toprop-up such greed, abuse of
power and insensitivity to the plight of thecommon man? It must be
avaricious, abusive of power and disdainful of thecommon man.
Atransformation of the police is contingent on anattitudinal shift amongst
the power elite. They must change their attitudetowards the masses, and
also, realize that they arenot overlords (like colonial masters), but
public servants. They mustlearn to revere the people because they are
theultimate repository of power, and their wellbeing should be the focus
of theconcerns and actions of every government official and every
institution ofgovernment. Then, of course, political power will
automatically becomeanswerable and accountable to the people.
Apolice force that is the tool and mirror image of power elite that
isanswerable and accountable to the people will naturally also answer and
accountto the people; and invariably serve and protect the people.
TochukwuEzukanma write from Lagos, Nigeria
maciln18@yahoo.com
0803529 2908