Wole Soyinka award: New Telegraph’s winning entry

 FIRST WRITTEN IN 2014 

Juliana Francis

Juliana Francis’ entry, Extrajudicial killing: The story of SARS and robbery suspects, wins this year’s edition of Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting because it captures the agonies of hopeless, hapless and sometimes innocent suspects in police detentions, writes ABIODUN BELLO

 
Travelling may mean different things to different people. But to men of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), an arm of the Nigeria Police Force, ‘to travel’ means to kill a suspect in detention. That was the synopsis of the investigation conducted by Juliana Francis, the Crime Editor of New Telegraph newspaper, which won the ninth Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.
The story entitled; “Extrajudicial killing: The story of SARS and robbery suspects,” won the Print category and the overall best entry. In the course of conducting the investigation, Francis traversed five states – Lagos, Rivers, Abia, Imo and Anambra – for a period of two years. She said beyond what was published in the New Telegraph editions on February 24, March 3 and 10, 2014, what she discovered in several police detentions visited was horrible.
According to her story, hundreds of robbery suspects, if not thousands, who were arrested and taken to SARS, were summarily executed, without recourse to the courts. “Most times, some are not even robbery suspects, but suspects arrested for other crimes. Many (both the innocent and presumed guilty) die through torture; others are shot point blank because they were deemed as ‘confirmed robbers.’ “The stories differ from station to station and case to case,” she wrote.
Unfortunately, some members of the families of some of those killed in police detention still live in false hope that the dead would return home one day. “The family members are busy visiting prayer houses, native doctors, diviners and spiritualists without any knowledge that the subject has crossed over to the other side of the world,” she wrote. On her reaction to the award held at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday night, Francis said she was surprised when she won in the print category.
But she was stunned and overwhelmed when she was announced the overall winner in the about 200 entries. She also emerged the first female to win the overall. Asked why she thought her entry won, in her down to earth attitude, Francis said she did not know. She said: “I was not part of the panel of judges. But I want to believe that the story captures the agony of those who are supposed to protect us put us through. It is a story everyone and anybody can relate to.”
But despite her boldness and the ‘heaven may fall’ disposition, Francis said she was moved to tears by “the tears of a couple who was searching for their 19-year-old-son”. According to her, unknown to the family, the son had been killed in police detention in Lagos.
“I discovered this in the course of my investigation, but I could not tell the family. The mother, who had been going from one spiritualist to the other, still believes her son would soon return home,” she said. But conducting the investigation posed some challenges in itself.
“I had a lot of challenges. I started the story when I was with Compass newspaper, but dropped it owing to lack of funds to pursue it. “I picked up the story again after I joined Newswatch newspaper. Getting family members of victims was tough. They were suspicious and treated me like I was the ‘bad guy.’ Some I went to see were working in other states and wanted me to wait till weekend. “Accommodation was also an issue. I ran out of money to return to Lagos,” Francis added. But it did not end there.
There were threats to her life, but undaunted, she trudged on, like an unwary soldier, to get the story done. She said: “Some of my police friends begged me to drop the story. They were worried about its effect and consequences from their colleagues.
“After completing the story, my editor then refused to publish it. His reasons were good. He said I should think of my life and the lives of my children.” Despite the challenges, Francis said given the opportunity, she would conduct more daring investigations. She said: “Media houses should begin to fund investigations of their reporters. They should also emulate other media organisations by rewarding reporters who won awards. Some reporters in some media houses are always winning awards, bringing glory to their organisations because they were adequately motivated.” Will there be an end to extrajudicial killing? Francis said she did not know. But, according to her, it was a sign of failure of leadership.
“The simple reason extrajudicial killings continue is because our leaders have failed the people. If the government overhauls the police force, by training policemen to embrace scientific investigation and bring in modern equipment, such killings will stop. “Scientific policing/ investigation will check torture to elicit confession from suspects. It will reduce cases of innocent suspect going to jail. Many suspects confess to crime they did not commit to stop being tortured.
“This is also part of the reasons our policemen excel in other countries; those countries have most of the tools needed to carry out police work in a more convenient manner. The police in Nigeria are supposed and expected to perform their job without equipment. Hence, they do the work whatever way they could,” she said. Francis urged government to overhaul the police and train officers and men in scientific investigation. “Bring in scientific equipment, honour policemen who die in the line of duty as heroes.