CITIZENS’ RIGHT AND POLICE INJUSTICE IN NIGERIA

By: Ebo Emmanuel

            Police Injustice mostly used to refer to various human rights violations by police which might include beatings, racial abuse, unlawful killings, torture, or indiscriminate use of riot control agents at protests. At its worst, unlawful use of force by police can result in people being deprived of their right to life. If police force is unnecessary or excessive, it may also amount to torture or other ill-treatment. Unlawful force by police can also violate the right to be free from discrimination, the right to liberty and security, and the right to equal protection under the law.

          In countries with high rates of killings by police, there is often a combination of factors including inadequate laws, racial or other forms of discrimination, insecurity or conflict, and entrenched impunity. Governments who routinely trample on other human rights like freedom of expression and peaceful assembly often authorize heavy-handed police responses to protests and demonstrations. 

        Over the last month, Nigeria has been rocked by nationwide protests over police brutality following claims of violence, sexual assault and kidnapping by a special unit called Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).  

     Tina Ezekwe, a 16-year-old secondary school pupil, died after she was struck by a police bullet in Iyana-Oworo area of Lagos. The young girl was reportedly killed by a police officer who shot to disperse a crowd that had gathered after the shooting of a commercial bus driver who refused to pay a bribe. Over the years, there have been so many cases of police brutality and mindless murders of innocent citizens.

      “Police are your friend,” a slogan used by the Nigerian police force has become a contradiction. Slogans like this have lost their meaning on Nigerians due to the inhumane treatment we suffer at the hands of our supposed “friends”.  Police brutality has been a serious challenge we have been battling in Nigeria. The police force, who have been entrusted with protecting lives and property, have abused their power. They often use force beyond the limit permissible by law, infringing on the rights of innocent civilians and causing a lot of harm and pain to people here.

      We have heard of cases of victims who have experienced sexual assault, injuries and death, often the result of stray bullets and possible mistaken identities. Over the years, there has been an insatiable feeling of distrust as cases like this keep occurring. Relationships between the Nigerian police and citizens are largely characterized by suspicion, prejudice, brutality and violence.

      Recently, the youth of Nigeria decided to stand up for their rights and hold a peaceful protest for the government to disband the special unit of the police force called SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad). This unit has been known for their harassment, extortion and killing of innocent people.

        The protest remained peaceful for 12 days, during which time the undeterred youth took to the streets daily to voice their demands for a better living situation. The people of Nigeria felt that the government would have remained silent while we continued to lose young and vibrant future change-makers who had been victims of mistaken identities profiled for their looks – the color of their hair, having a new iPhone, looking good or driving a nice car.

        Police have used excessive force on unarmed protesters since demonstrations began, which has resulted in the loss of life and disruption of calm within the affected states.

      The 2016 World Internal Security and Police Index ranks Botswana’s police force as the best, followed by Rwanda and Algeria. Nigeria’s police force is the worst, just below Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Uganda to make up the bottom four.

     The World Internal Security & Police Index (WISPI) is composed of many indicators and a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data intended to rank countries according to states of internal security. The index also measures the ability of police institutions worldwide to render effective security services as well as measuring public’s confidence in such services; rates on fear of crime; rates of crime victims and the indicators of police operations and activities.

    The Index excludes countries currently suffering from civil conflict, as well as countries with insufficient data coverage. 

      The government needs to take reform seriously if they are going to improve safety and restore confidence in the police. The most critical change is the need to ensure that the Nigeria Police Force is free from presidential and political interference. Only an independent police force can foster professionalism. It is also essential to ensure that the police do not monopolize or interfere with investigations of crime and misconduct by their officers. Currently, many cases of police misconduct are overlooked because of political interference, or the expectation of it.  

         These measures need to be complemented by more robust external oversight. The Police Service Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the federal attorney general’s office, the courts, and other state and federal officials have to take shared responsibility for making the police more accountable and more effective. For example, we call for establishment of a federal prosecutorial unit to take on cases of police corruption and violence. We need to ensure that complaints are followed up and abuse is punished in order to change this culture of impunity. The police need a new culture of more transparent and accountable institutional management. So that aid is not wasted and we see real improvement, donor countries ought to insist on, and help develop, management and accountability mechanisms.