Insecurity: We’re at God's mercy, say police

Taiwo Jimoh

It’s no longer a breaking story that the present Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, inherited myriad of problems from his predecessors.

These are not just insecurity, but also challenges confronting the personnel, which in no small ways can affect their performances.

Among these problems is the ongoing argument of police personnel buying items for their jobs, which ordinarily should have been bought by the federal government. This issue is not going to go away.

According to some policemen, they not only lacked weapons to battle insecurity, they also used to buy arms and ammunition by themselves in black markets located in the Republic of Benin and Onitsha, in Anambra State.

One of them said: “Do you know that police shoes, belts, caps, canisters of tear gas, uniforms are now being displayed and sold in open markets by civilians?”

A serving senior police officer said that the rank and file of the police and their families are now at God's mercy due to their inabilities to have the right weapons. He insinuated that scarcity of such items could cause a policeman to become desperate, ready to go any length to acquire those items.

He said: “When a policeman needs arms and ammunition to combat crime and can’t get it at appropriate time, he will go to any length to get it. Some policemen used to buy live ammunitions and canisters of tear gas in open market at the Republic of Benin and Onitsha in Anambra State. We’re not provided with the requisite tools to work with. In the previous administration, before the present commissioner of police in Lagos State, some firearms, which were not functioning properly, were taken for repairs. We thought new ones would have been bought by now, but the story is still the same.”

He said that Nigeria was the only country, where policemen left to fend for themselves in all ramifications. “In Lagos State, you’ll see civilians selling police uniforms, shoes, belt, cap and other materials. In other climes, you wouldn’t find such.”

He revealed that the police personnel mostly used to buy their own AK47 rifles and pistols.

He added: “Arm smuggling has increased because of porous borders because of secessionists’ agitators, but the truth, which most Nigerians do not know, is that police also buy these guns from these smugglers. We use them to police the country. Police hierarchy should do the needful, so that we can function well.”

He also alleged that those given to personnel by the authority were monitored and often not enough.

He said: “The authority gives you limited ammunition and when you exhaust it, you can be queried on how you use them. That’s part of the reasons we started buying for our safety. We don't rely on police armourers to give us arms and ammunition because the protocol is too much, so we get ours.”

According to a senior police officer, the corruption in the Police was behind reason for police personnel buying required items themselves instead of the government.

He said: “It’s only in Nigeria you see policemen buying their uniforms, shoes and other tools they need to operate. I personally have bought live ammunition on several occasions from Anambra State Main Market, when we were going for operations. What they usually given to us are not always enough for my team and I. Sincerely, I always know before leaving Lagos that what we had with us wouldn’t be enough, which was why we buy from those selling in the black market. It’s also not easy to buy it from the open market because those selling don't just sell it to anybody. There’s a language we normally speak to them and when we tell them sometimes that we are policemen, they fear that we came to arrest them.”

He said that if the government does the needful, Black market wouldn’t be prevalent in Nigeria

He asked: “Are you telling me that Customs officials are not aware of the goods coming into the country? We’re all culpable in this issue. We’re talking of proliferations of arms and ammunition in the society. How do you expect me, who has outdated weapons to confront those who have sophisticated weapons? Why won't they kill us like chickens in the battle fields? Never in my life will I allow my children to join police or any other forces in this country! We’re suffering.”

He explained that whenever there was a crisis, it was the outdated rifles, their bosses would hand to them.

“For instance, look at the case of the IPOB boys and militants. Have to notice the types of weapons they used to display? Do you think if we have such weapons, we wouldn’t defeat these criminal elements? It is because of the nepotism and ethnicity in the force that some of my colleagues are planning to travel out of the country? It is also because of this that so many have resigned and left the country. We’re always at the receiving end whenever there is crisis. And yet we’re not getting better welfare packages. Check our barracks and operational vehicles; they’re all in a mess!”

A junior police woman, who was just recruited into the police force a year ago, said right from the police college, they had started buying everything they needed up to their shoes. Before being recruited, she used to abuse policemen for extorting commercial buses, but now she knew some reasons. She said that she has realised that the policemen were always suffering and smiling.

She further stated: “I’m trying to convince my parents to allow me resign and leave the force. It’s only in Lagos State Command that we are enjoying a bit. My colleagues, who are in other states, are complaining of the harsh environment where they work. Those senior officers we met on the job are also complaining. Some senior officers always look older than their age and it’s because of the stress they are going through. There is no motivation in the job and if you are killed in the line of duty, you’re on your own. Even in police, to get your entitlement is a challenge and stress compared to our contemporaries in the army, navy and air force.”

Another senior policeman said it was no longer a secret on the fact that members of the police force were going through hell.

He said: “Bandits or insurgents will write to inform you that they were coming and true to their words, they would come. They do this because they know and understand how powerful the arms with them are. How do you confront criminals who are more equipped than you? They have state of the art weapons and gadgets. Ask any youth to join police and they’ll tell you they want to travel abroad. Some of the bandits have communication equipment which could tell them a policeman’s location. They will only be laughing at you when you lied to them. Again, how many stations have perimeter fencing in the country?”

He said that it was disgraceful that the police in Nigeria were still policing with equipment bequeathed to them by the colonialists. This was even as he admitted that policemen do buy arms and ammunition from the Republic of Benin and other black markets.

He said: “The systemic rot and corruption, which have pervaded our governance is still at play. No one felt the N1.3trn said to have been given to the army in two years. Where is it? That is why our soldiers are being killed by Boko Haram. No one is asking what happened to the families of those killed and beheaded while defending the country. Hundreds of millions of Naira are being paid to bandits, kidnappers and insurgents, who they in turn use to purchase arms and ammunitions and then bring them which they bring in through our porous borders.”

 

The senior officer added, During the last elections, they had to look for money to buy tear gas canisters which they used in election duties. Where is that done in the world? Yet they want the policeman to go after criminals without corresponding equipment.

 

No policeman or officer would be daft to go after criminals the way we are. The buying of the bullets and firearms was on the increase when the special anti-robbery squad where still in force, but now we get it in Anambra State.

 

It was observed by our correspondent in some places in Ikeja where civilian were seen sewing police uniform, while some were selling police faze cap, shoes, ranks and other tools, which is not to be in a sane country.

 

"We buy our shoes up to live ammunitions, we need to do our work, we don't need to wait for our armourer providing us what we need, alot of colleagues had been killed as a result of lack of weapons, it is only God that can save us in Nigeria, things are not working they it should be."

 

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer PPRO CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, when contacted he didn't pick his call respond to the text massage sent to his phone.