Editorial

That steering-dragging killing by errant policemen in Lagos

ALTHOUGH the law is often casually broken by law enforcement agents in Nigeria, last week’s dastardly incident in which a pregnant woman, her two children and another passenger were reportedly killed at Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos State, after a car rammed a tricycle in which they were riding represents a new low in uniformed lawlessness, and rankles very badly. According to reports, the tragic incident occurred while a policeman and the driver of the car were dragging the steering wheel of the car in motion, during which they lost control of the car and it hit the tricycle with passengers on board. The driver had been apprehended by the police officers and one of them got into the car, followed by others, but as they headed to the police station, reaching the Okota roundabout, the driver was said to have decided to play tricks on them and diverted to Ago Palace way. Not to be outdone, the policeman in the car started dragging the steering wheel with him, leading to the tragic incident. Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were said to have joined in chasing after the driver before the killings occurred. Benjamin Hundeyin, the Lagos State police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.

To be sure, this is lawlessness writ large. It really boggles the mind that such an absurd, tragic incident occurred due to sheer lawlessness by security operatives paid to protect life and property. Because of the vestiges of military rule which have ensured that Nigeria’s democracy is still largely policed without respect for human rights, terrible incidents of grievous torture, bodily harm and killings perpetrated by security operatives abound across the country. The #EndSARS protests of 2020, which exacted a heavy casualty toll among the civil populace and police officers, was essentially a response by Nigerian youth to years of police brutality, but it is striking that beyond the disbandment of the notorious SARS unit by the police hierarchy, not much has been achieved by way of respect for human rights. Although the police authorities, particularly in the Lagos State command, have tended to respond swiftly to complaints by aggrieved citizens, including on social media, and taken swift steps to address the issues raised, there is very little evidence to conclude that there is a radical change in police attitude to the civil populace across formations.

On the other hand, personnel of LASTMA, a creation of the Lagos State government to impose some order on the chaos that characterised commuting and transport in the state for years, have tended to act just like the police, deploying mindless violence as a tactic of traffic governance and exhibiting all forms of aberrant behaviour. Thus, although various reports on the present incident confirmed that policemen were responsible for the tragic loss of innocent lives, the role of LASTMA operatives in the incident was far from salutary; they reportedly joined in the chase that ended in agony and despair for many families. It is thus necessary to ask whether personnel of the agency have indeed imbibed the lofty values usually espoused by its leadership, which has tended to give the impression, albeit false, that the agency’s operations have always been guided by the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Why should security operatives drag the steering wheel of a car with a driver in the bid to arrest him? Why jump into the car in the first place when the erring driver, assuming that he had actually committed an offence, could have been apprehended without that ugly drama? Since when did it become right for law enforcement officers to take the law into their own hands and constitute a veritable threat to the peace and security of the citizenry they are mandated to protect? Indeed, would it not have been better for the driver in this case to have escaped punishment for whatever offence he committed than for innocent passengers in a tricyle to have lost their lives? Now that the police have succeeded in arresting the driver, how will they bring back the innocent lost souls? And how will they bring their grieving families relief? Elsewhere in the world, there are means of apprehending erring drivers without endangering the lives of other people.

There is certainly a desperate need to reinvent the country’s security agencies, particularly the police, especially in the context of value for life and respect for human lives. Their conduct is benumbing, to put it mildly. We urge the Lagos State government to take active interest in the present case and ensure that justice is done. We commiserate with the families of the victims and wish them the fortitude to survive this hour.

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