Is police truly my friend? 

“Police is your friend” is a popular statement that we hear in the public and read on walls of police stations. But is police truly the friend of the citizens? It is very sad that the bad eggs in the force are constantly thwarting the efforts of the good ones in repairing its smear image.

The manner in which some Nigerian police go about their duties, especially in the public is highly unprofessional. The truth must be said that many have been killed and maimed and many parents have become barren due to this unprofessional act. It is very ironic that those who are saddled with the responsibility of securing lives are the same people slaying them.

2019 governorship election and state of APC, PDP across the states

These crops of unprofessional men of the Police Force are not hard to discern. They are the ones you see at beer joints during working hours, leaving their brain and trigger finger to be coordinated by alcoholic Substance. They are the security personnel who would threaten you with our national gun at the slightest argument. They are the headstrong police men who would find their way out of a very thick traffic gridlock with unnecessary sirens leaving the public in awe of their actions. These trigger-happy men would kill without any consideration for human life. How should the citizens be convinced that the police is their friend?

The recent shooting of Kolade Johnson has left many questions unanswered for the discerning minds. There have been many rumours, one of which is that the police men involved shot sporadically into the air after apprehending a suspected cultist. Why must they shoot into the air after arresting the suspect they came for? Was it truly a stray bullet that hit Kolade Johnson? Is there truly a cover up to the whole story as some people have claimed?

The rot in the Nigerian Police Force needs to be traced to the root because it would be tantamount to deceit if we keep scratching the surface. The saying goes thus that, ‘If the foundation is faulty, what shall the righteous do?’

In order to save our country from the menace of unlawful shooting of unarmed citizens, we need to ask the Police Service Commission (PSC) that do these security personnel go through psychiatric evaluation during recruitment processes and even at regular intervals after they are recruited? How serious does the commission take the issue of applicants’ guarantor? Are these guarantors contacted to verify the suitability of these applicants or is it just a normal and unchecked routine? What are the measures being put in place to check the police men that drink while on duty?

If we will be truthful with ourselves, any reform embarked on without proper considerations for the above insights is an exercise in futility.

When would we be able to walk out streets without the fear of being gunned down by unprofessional men in the Police Force?

Ishola Akintunde, 

Ibadan.