The Christmas Day killing of a Lagos-based lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, by an officer of the Nigerian police at a checkpoint at Ajah area of Lagos State, is one out of the too many police brutality and extrajudicial killings of citizens whom they are supposed to be protecting.
Between January and September 2021 alone, 164 cases of police – civilian incidents were recorded according to Global Rights Advocates for Sustainable Justice, while 271 incidents were documented by Amnesty International between March to June of 2021.
Whenever these barbaric killings or manhandling of the Nigerian civilians happened, people continue to clamor for law enforcement reform and training of the police personnel. It is not out of context that the Nigeria Police need total reform and training to make it more vibrant and be able to perform optimally as seen in other countries of the world, but the extrajudicial killings and harassments of the civilians being perpetrated by the police personnel in Nigeria is not about police officers not been trained.
It is a known fact that during the recruitment exercise of the personnel into the Nigeria Police Force, the recruits always underwent a series of training and activities at the Police College. Is the recruited police officer in Nigeria during orientation and training not being taught or educated on how to relate with civilians or the appropriate way to use their guns?
In Nigeria, police officers are seen going around with AK 47 guns on our streets, inside public transportation and even at beer parlors. Whenever there is an argument between police officers and the civilians in Nigeria, the next thing is for the officers to point an AK 47 gun at civilians and in the process civilians get killed or wounded.
The men in uniform that were trained to be protectors of lives and properties of the citizens, have now turned to agents of death. This dastardly act happened occasionally or at irregular intervals.
Looking at the rate at which these killings are happening in Nigeria and the reasons for the killings which oftentimes is just little argument that ensues between the police men and the civilian victims, one can easily conclude that those uniform men are insane with mental health.
If not that they have mental health issues, how can a right thinking and normal human being with sound mental health point guns at, shoot and kill citizens who are not criminals, bandits, terrorists or gangsters because of ordinary arguments or altercations? In order to put an end to the incessant killings of Nigerians who are not criminals, bandits or terrorists by the men in uniforms, the Nigerian government should as a matter of urgency subject all police personnel from the middle ranks to constable to psychiatric test and examinations to ascertain the level of their mental health.
Also, henceforth psychiatric tests and examinations should be part of the prerequisite at entry level into the Nigerian police. The Nigerian government should increase the salaries of the police personnel, renovate all the barracks across the country, build additional barracks, restructure the Nigeria Police Force as well as train them.
If all the above as itemised are followed, it is expected that Nigeria will be boasting of vibrant, well-behaved and people-friendly police personnel and the incessant killings of the citizens by the overzealous police officers will be a thing of the past.
Agunloye Bashiru, bagunloye@gmail.com
