By TochukwuEzukanma<\/p>\n
Recently, many Nigerians vehemently denounced the SpecialAnti-Robbery
\nSquad (SARS) for its brutality, extortion and extra-judicialkillings. It
\nwas very impressive that the uproar against SARS officers
\npromptedimmediate responses from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and
\nthe Nigeriansenate. Both the IGP and the senate promised to investigate
\nthe allegationsagainst the officers of SARS. In addition to investigation,
\nSARS needsreformation. However, as SARS is only a special unit of the
\nNigerian police, anymeaningful reform of SARS will demand a reformation of
\nthe entire Nigerianpolice.<\/p>\n
I once heard on a radio program that the motto of theNigerian Police Force
\nis \u201cto serve and protect\u201d, that is, to serve and protectNigerians. By
\nwhatever standards, the Nigerian Police Force has failed in its
\nassignedroles of serving and protecting Nigerians. According to the World
\nInternalSecurity and Police Index International, Nigeria has the worst
\npolice force inthe world. And this ignominious distinction of the Nigerian
\nPolice Force isevinced by its corruption, illegal arrests,
\ntrigger-happiness, extra-judicialkillings, etc.<\/p>\n
But, as we decry the Nigerian police for its multitudeof iniquities, we
\nshould realize that it did not derail from its professionalideals of \u201cto
\nserve and protect\u201d but that it was never trained and orientated toserve
\nand protect the people. It started as a colonial police force. As such,its
\noriginal mission was to buttress colonial institutions and protect
\nthepowers and pretensions of the colonial masters, usually, at the
\ndetriment ofthe indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n
The historian, H.G.Creel, once wrote that, \u201cThe justification for
\n(colonialism) usually calls fora certain amount of mythology, imposed on
\nthe people by propaganda\u201d. The colonialists\u2019 propaganda extolled the
\nsuperiority ofthe colonial masters and their way of life and denigrated
\nthe indigenous peopleand their culture. To reinforce this falsehood of
\nsuperiority and inferiorityof races, they established rigidly stratified
\nclass-structure that promotedexclusivity for the Whites (the elite), and
\nrelegated the natives to secondclass citizenship. The original role of the
\nNigerian police was to bolster this unjust and cruel colonial
\nsocialstructure that made royals of the colonial masters and disparaged
\nand degradedNigerians.<\/p>\n
But is it not perplexing that after fiftyseven years of independence the
\nNigerian police continue to behaveas though they are still beholden to a
\ncolonial power? \u00a0This is because after Nigerian independence, theemergent
\nNigerian power elite did not re-orient the police. They gleefully stepped
\ninto theshoes of the departing colonial masters and became the new elite.
\nThey took over the pretensions, privileges and prerogatives of
\nthecolonialists. Like thecolonial masters, their objectives and goals were
\nnot always in consonant with theneeds, aspirations and the overall good of
\nthe Nigerian public. Itwas not in their interest to build a post colonial
\nsociety founded on individualworth, equity and social justice.<\/p>\n
Theyadopted the colonial masters\u2019 attitude \u2013 deliberate scorn \u2013 towards
\nthe masses.So, although the new power elite became Nigerians, their
\ncontempt for the peopleand their indifference to their suffering remained
\nthe same, exactly, as they werewhen the ruling elite were the White
\ncolonizers. Consequently,they retained, and in some instances,
\nstrengthened the oppressive andexploitative bequests of colonialism,
\nincluding the police force with its anti-peoplepenchant. The police force
\nis an indispensible instrument ofgovernance. It represents and serves the
\npowers that be. Its modus operandi, inevitably,reveals the attitude of the
\ngoverning towards the governed.<\/p>\n
Presently, political power in Nigeria is anoverbearing tool of
\nself-absorbed power elite. It is essentially deployed againstthe public
\ngood. Like the colonial elite, the Nigerian elite constituted itselfinto a
\nspecial group sheltered in a cocoon of privileges and slated to live
\ninbreathtaking opulence at the economic strangulation of the generality
\nofNigerians. Also, like the colonial masters, they exercise their powers
\nin utterdisregard for the legitimate yearnings of the people.<\/p>\n
For example: Governor Rochas Okorocha continues to moldstatues of
\ninternational figures at the cost of N520m each, but refuses to payworkers
\nand pensioners in his state; tens of millions of Nigerians are trappedin
\ndesperate, raw-dirt poverty, and Nigeria has the social indices of the
\nworldpoorest countries, but her legislators are the highest paid
\nlegislators in theworld; and while millions of workers and their families
\nsubsist on N18, 000.00a month, N100m is to be spent for the replacement of
\nkitchen utensils in the president\u2019sofficial residence. What can be
\nexpected from a police force empowered toprop-up such greed, abuse of
\npower and insensitivity to the plight of thecommon man? It must be
\navaricious, abusive of power and disdainful of thecommon man.<\/p>\n
Atransformation of the police is contingent on anattitudinal shift amongst
\nthe power elite. They must change their attitudetowards the masses, and
\nalso, realize that they arenot overlords (like colonial masters), but
\npublic servants. They mustlearn to revere the people because they are
\ntheultimate repository of power, and their wellbeing should be the focus
\nof theconcerns and actions of every government official and every
\ninstitution ofgovernment. Then, of course, political power will
\nautomatically becomeanswerable and accountable to the people.<\/p>\n
Apolice force that is the tool and mirror image of power elite that
\nisanswerable and accountable to the people will naturally also answer and
\naccountto the people; and invariably serve and protect the people.<\/p>\n
TochukwuEzukanma write from Lagos, Nigeria<\/p>\n
maciln18@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
0803529 2908<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n