ADELANI ADEPEGBA writes on the
rising spate of extra-judicial killings in Nigeria and what the police
authorities are doing to nip it in the bud
When 20-year-old sales girl, Lucy Ukpong, left
her home on Oct. 12 for work at a photography shop in Apo, Abuja, little did
she know that it would be ‘a journey of no return’.
A stray bullet fired by a policeman on ‘illegal
duty’ in the area sent her to an early grave,
Three other people sustained gunshot injuries
when the policemen, who were from the FCT Police Command, fired bullets
indiscriminately to cow residents trying to resist the move to enforce an
‘illegal’ demolition order on a private plot of land.
Lucy was hit in the chest and was rushed to Garki
Hospital where she was confirmed dead on arrival. The deceased left behind a
daughter, her parents and siblings.
Lucy’s death in the hands of trigger-happy
policemen was one of the many cases of extra-judicial killings by security
agents in Nigeria. No fewer than nine persons have been reported killed in
suspicious circumstances within the last three months by policemen, who should
protect the people.
Another harrowing case that readily comes to mind
is that of Ugochukwu Ozuah, who got married on Sept. 15. He was allegedly shot
dead five days after his wedding by policemen in Gbagada, Lagos State at about
10 pm.
A sister to the deceased alleged that even when
the Divisional Police Officer came to the scene of crime, he met the victim
battling with his life and didn’t call for paramedics or make plans to take him
to the nearest hospital for treatment.
Similarly, on Sept. 6, a policeman, who was
drunk, allegedly killed one Dele Oroja, the Chairman of Keke Marwa Three
Wheelers Association, Meiran/Ile-Epo branch. Oroja was reportedly shot dead by
a police corporal, Abbey Adekunle.
An attempt to burn down the police station by
youths in the area was averted when the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Umaru
Manko, announced that the officer had been arrested and would be made to face
the law. It could not be ascertained if the officer had been arraigned.
In another case, on Sept. 13, a commercial driver
was allegedly killed by a police officer in Iperu Remo, Ogun State, for hitting
a police patrol van. The police authorities are yet to address the matter.
Furthermore, on Nov. 6, a commercial motorcyclist
was shot by a police officer at Ilupeju, Lagos State. The act led to a protest
by okada riders. Though the victim survived after being treated, Saturday
PUNCH can confirm that the trigger-happy officer is still walking freely.
In another development, on Nov. 7, a bus
conductor was allegedly shot dead by a police officer dressed in mufti at
Ojota, in Lagos State. The conductor was said to have been shot because he
allegedly stepped on the policeman. Nothing has been heard about the matter
since then.
Again, on Nov. 9, an unidentified commercial
driver was allegedly shot by a police officer attached to a new generation bank
for stopping in front of the bank to pick a passenger in Uruagu, Anambra State.
The list of casualties owing to the spate of police
killings seems to be growing daily.
Ironically, these blood-thirsty policemen do not
seem to spare even their colleagues; as there have been cases of killing of
policemen by their colleagues.
A few months ago, a policeman in Michika, Adamawa
State, shot three of his colleagues, killing one. The incident was confirmed by
the Adamawa State Police Command, which said that the policeman fled after the
shooting in a police station. The fleeing policeman was also shot to death when
he refused to turn himself in. The spokesperson for the Command, Ibrahim
Muhammad, said the shooting was carried out by the policeman after a “sudden
change of behaviour.”
However, public opinion has blamed the poor
prosecution of errant officers for the carefree manner that policemen use
firearms. Some say the fact that policemen do not get constant trainings in the
use of firearms is a reason to consider.
In his view, the National Coordinator of the
Legal Defence and Assistant Project, Chino Obiagwu, blamed the rise in the
killings on the non-conviction of the culprits.
“This keeps going on because nobody is being
punished. We are documenting these killings and when we are done, we will
follow up the cases to know what the Federal Government is doing about them. We
have also asked the Director of Public Prosecutions and the commissioners of
police to prosecute their men and bring justice to full course,” Obiagwu said.
He says there has been an increase in
extra-judicial killings between 2010 and 2012, including those that were not
formally reported in the media.
Similarly, the Executive Director of CLEEN
Foundation, Innocent Chukwuma, attributed the extra-judicial killings to the
conditional option usually given to the police to solve crime issues within 48
hours of arrest.
He says his organisation is working with the
police and the FG to prosecute those found wanting.
He says, “We at CLEEN Foundation are working with
the police and the FG to stop these killings and prosecute these killers. At
least, about 500 police officers are being dismissed yearly.”
But the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed
Abubakar, said his administration did not tolerate the misuse of firearms. He
said that all reported cases of extra-judicial killings by policemen were being
investigated. He cited his deployment of special detectives to investigate
Ozuah’s alleged murder by policemen in Lagos as a test case.
At a security conference with Commissioners of
Police and Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General in Abuja on Tuesday, Abubakar
tasked the officers to strategise against violent crimes, extra-judicial
killings by policemen and corruption in the force.
He said, “This administration is doing everything
possible to combat the misuse of firearms by police officers. We must tackle
violent crimes, extra-judicial killings and corruption among officers. Some CPs
are not doing enough to tackle bribery and corruption among officers and if any
CP fails to do so, it is assumed that he is not interested in fighting crime
and criminality and such a person will be sanctioned.”
Beyond rhetorics and grandstanding, a report by a
Civil Society Organisation, Open Society Justice Initiative, laid out
strategies to curb extra-judicial killings by police officers. Among other
things, the report recommended improved police training and tactics, noting
that hundreds of Nigerians are killed yearly because “thousands of police
personnel are too quick to draw their guns and too cavalier about firing them.”
It acknowledge that policing is a dangerous job
because about 1,000 officers have been killed in the line of duty between 2000
and 2006; but it insists that better training is needed to improve their safety
and those of the civilian population.
The report further suggest the conduct of a
formal review of all Nigeria Police Force firearms discharges, regardless of
whether anyone was hit.
“This review should be designed not only to
determine whether a wrong was committed but to identify and correct gaps in
training, supervision, equipment, or policy which contribute to the shootings,”
it noted.
The NGO asked the National Assembly to direct the
police to publish a semi-annual report, indicating the number, geographic and
unit distribution, and outcomes (such as fatalities, injuries, and property
damage), of all officer-involved firearms incidents, as well as the outcomes of
the corresponding reviews and/or disciplinary or criminal proceedings.
The Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment