Seeking an end to senseless police killings in Nigeria – New Telegraph Newspaper
Officers need psychological evaluation – RULAAC
Unprovoked killings
T he Nigeria Police was established like all police services across many countries of the world to provide security and be the first line of protection for the people, but in Nigeria it seems that some police operatives have reversed their role and turn the guns against innocent citizens.
The killing of unarmed citizens by policemen paid to protect the people seems to be on the increase as there is no end in sight to Nigerian police extrajudicial killings and brutality across the country. Many innocent Nigerians have lost their lives to the guns of cruel policemen who have sniffed lives out of young and adult citizens out of desperation to either extort them or out of carelessness. It has been alleged that some policemen derive joy in shooting their fellow citizens to death on the slightest provocation.
The Force many argue needs to train their officers and men on shooting practice and make it compulsory to visit shooting range, as it would help the police to a large extent on avoiding accidental discharge. Some of them, it was also learnt may have even forgotten the five rules governing the use of fire arms.
Some of them behave recklessly and unruly whenever they are provoked by members of the public. The recent killing by the police that have caused public uproar is that of the pregnant lawyer, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem who was shot dead by an Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to Ajiwe Police Station, on Sunday December 25, 2022, Christmas Day. The victim, who was shot in the car in the presence of her husband, younger sister and some children, was returning from church while trying to make a U-turn under Ajah Bridge.
Mrs Raheem and her husband took her family to an eatery for a Christmas celebration after church service, but she was hunted by a police officer who shot at her vehicle. The bullet hit her on the chest and she was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was confirmed died.
The stark reality is that Nigerians are not free yet from police brutality, and this calls for worry, it shows Nigerians are not safe in the hands of those who are supposed to be protect them. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin in a statement said the gun-wielding policeman responsible for the lawyer’s death had been arrested and detained for prosecution. But as promising as the Police statement might appear, the sad occurrence brings to mind the of the #EndSARS struggle in 2020, when Nigerian youths staged protests across the country to demand an end to the defunct police unit, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
It would be recalled that SARS operatives were allegedly robbing Nigerians at gunpoint, taking them to ATMs, forcing them to withdraw cash and steal it from them, and many were gruesomely killed by these trigger-happy cops. The menace got so bad in Lagos and other parts of the country, while many Nigerians in far flung places like Ughelli in Delta state among many other places faced inhuman treatments in the hands of SARS. At the height of the protests in the country, men in military uniform invaded a peaceful venue of the protest in Lekki Tollgate, Lagos, shot at and killed many youths. The government and the military have not taken responsibility for the incident since then.
Following the protests the Inspector General of Police scrapped SARS, but the police brutality has not ended, as another one has just been witnessed in the death of Raheem and Gafaru Buraimoh who was also shot dead by an Inspector of Police attached to the same Ajiwe Police Station on December 6, 2022. This was less than three weeks before Raheem was shot dead by a policeman from the same Ajiwe Police Station. Raheem’s death seems to have opened the old wounds, as Nigerians are already contemplating another protest and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) also demanding justice. It was gathered that Buraimoh was on his way to buy fuel when he was struck by the policeman’s bullet who was after boys selling fuel on roadside.
A witness, who gave his name as Brown, in one of the videos that went viral when Buraimoh was killed attached to the post, was heard saying the victim went to purchase fuel when the policemen allegedly shot him dead. Meanwhile, on December 20, 2022, a policeman attached to the Sagamu Road Police Division, Lagos State Police Command, in the Ikorodu area of the state, also shot dead a motorcyclist, One Stephen Alabi, alias Doctor, at Sabo Market. Alabi and his colleagues were said to be at a park close to the Sabo Market when the policemen arrived to impound motorcycles from riders operating against the ban on motorcycle operations in the state.
A motorcyclist, Olawale Olawuwo, said the policemen were attempting to seize a bike from his colleague when Alabi intervened, adding that one of the policemen shot him. Olawuwo said: “The incident happened on Thursday; motorcyclists were at our park at the front gate of the Sabo Market when policemen stormed the premises to impound motorcycles. They were about seizing a bike from a motorcyclist when the deceased met them at the front gate of the market around 3pm. “Alabi was trying to settle the matter between the motorcyclist and the policemen when one of the cops cocked his gun and started shooting; one of the stray bullets hit Alabi.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in another narrative, said a mob attacked a police patrol team on the false belief that the team was responsible for an accident involving a motorcycle and a tricycle in the area, which led to the shooting. “Investigation was ongoing to unravel all the facts behind the shooting,” he added. Also, on August 18, 2022, a policeman shot a motorcyclist dead at Abule Egba area of the state for operating on the restricted route. The deceased identified as Idris Yau, 30 was killed on Chief Adenuga Street, by LASU Progressive Road, off Social Club, Abule-Egba. Also on December 4, 2022, a security guard, Koleosho Abayomi, demanded justice after accusing a policeman of shooting him in the thigh at the Lekki Peninsula Scheme II, in the Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Abayomi, who was bedridden due to the injuries he sustained during the attack, said the policemen were enforcing the ban on motorcycle operations when the incident happened. The dastardly killing by the policemen hasn’t stopped in Lagos, but also spread to Edo State where one Godsent Obhafuoso was gunned down by a policeman at a function. The family claimed that the policeman that killed Obhafuoso escorted a prominent resident to Uromi community, in the Esan North East Local Government Area on August 13, 2022, and fired bullets during a ceremony, which hit the victim and he died on the spot.
IGP condemned the act
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, own his own, had condemned the shooting and killing of Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, a lawyer who was allegedly shot and killed by ASP Drambi Vandi attached to Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah. In a statement by the Force Police Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Muyiwa Adejobi on Monday, December 26, 2022, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, described the incident as unfortunate and sad, and ordered speedy investigation and prosecution of the officers responsible for the ugly and unprofessional act, which doesn’t portray the Nigeria Police Standard Operating Procedure and core values. In the same vein, the IGP commiserated with the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased as he prayed for the repose of her soul. He further assures the general public of justice in the case while he warns officers and men of the Force to be professional and people-oriented in the discharge of their duties and operate within the ambit of the law, as the Force’s leadership will not condone any inappropriate or unprofessional acts.
RULAAC calls for periodic training for police
Reacting to the killing, the Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma condemned the act of the police. He said such unprovoked and unwarranted shooting by the police could not have been done under normal mental condition.
This he said underscores the need to periodically carry out psychological evaluation of police officers, especially those who bear arms. “It is the view of RULAAC that the persistence of unlawful police killings calls for deeper understanding of the root causes. If after the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, extortion, torture, extrajudicial killings and other forms of police brutality remain prevalent, then there is need for serious reassessment to understand the causes and apply the appropriate solutions.
“There is no doubt that impunity, a consequence of the state’s failure to ensure effective investigation of incidents with a view to bringing perpetrators to account is a key causative factor. “But I think that that alone will not suffice unless another factor is addressed: the compromised process of police recruitment which circumvents the established guidelines and allows unqualified, unfit and untrainable people to find their way into the police. “An additional factor is the failure to ensure psychological evaluation of candidates before they are recruited and periodically while in service to ensure that they are mentally fit to be entrusted with firearms. “Other factors are the deficit in forensic capabilities and professional standards, and poor working conditions which impoverish personnel and make them prone to corruption and violence.
All these are contributory to the predatory behavior and tendency to easily misuse firearms.” He added that, unless there is a genuine commitment to implement reforms that address these problems, the nation will only continue to lament and condemn after every incident and wait for the next to happen. “And then police authorities will do no more than give assurances of investigation and that may be the end. Addressing these challenges calls for competent leadership both at the level of the police and at the political level.” Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command on Monday said it will reappraise its rules of engagement following the death of the woman lawyer.
Lamenting the incidents, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin said this has become one too many, especially bearing in mind that a similar incident occurred at the same location less than three weeks ago. The condemnable incident he said is against the standard operating procedures (SOP) and rules of engagement of the Force, and, to say the least, is embarrassing. “Beyond this incident, the Nigeria Police Force will carry out a reappraisal of its rules of engagement in a bid to put an end to such avoidable ugly incidents. “The Lagos State Police Command hereby appeals to the good people and residents of Lagos State to remain calm as the Command is already in constant touch with the Nigerian Bar Association and other relevant stakeholders towards ensuring that justice totally prevails.”
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