This police need reforms

A little while ago, #End SARS was trending. The campaign was vociferous, especially on the social media. The offence was the series of infractions attributable to SARS (A special unit in the Police Force), which made it a thorn in the flesh of the citizens. Deaths and more deaths were being recorded in its name and Nigerians were genuinely worried.

Though SARS appeared to have calmed down a bit, its parent body, the Police Force itself, is gradually assuming the notoriety Nigerians complained about the SARS. The Nigeria Police Force needs reforms, not just in the form of state police proposal being pushed by eminent political stakeholders in the polity. It indeed needs serious reforms in the conduct of its IGP, its men and officers, as far as their communication with the public, is concerned.

One issue that has put the police in the eye of the public is this Saraki saga. The tango between the police and the Senate and then Senate President Bukola Saraki has robbed off badly with huge public relations deficit for the police.

The Force, which has been at the receiving end of bandits in the axes of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Zamfara had received further unwanted blows in Kaduna and even Abuja. Men and officers of the Force were untimely downed in the line of service, something we all have to be sorry about. But each time the police was faced with a situation that should evoke pity from the public, the conduct of its leaders and men further alienate it from the people.

It all lend further credence to the state police quest; the people are better policed by a force they own and befriend; a force they can relate with and one they readily divulge critical intelligence and then they can go to bed and have sound sleep. Where the police has become a force that only does the unthinkable, you can be sure its assignment can only get more tasking.

The handling of this Saraki saga has left much to be desired from the police. From the blues, the Force came about with alleged “links” of the Senate President to the dastardly Offa robberies, which left more than 30 persons dead. That information, coming on the heat of the scuffle over Senate invitations to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, is suspect. And especially as Idris had filed cases in court each time he was summoned by the Senate, but desires the politicians honour his own invites. Rather than readily appear before the lawmakers, even if he suspects the invitation was for selfish reasons, the IGP sets a bad example of shunning senate summons but runs around to summon Senators and Rep members for interrogation. His office had even claimed that it is disrespectful not to honour summons.

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If the actions of the police chief can only be dictated by his closeness to the executive base of power or his perception of the body language of the president towards the presiding officer of a particular chamber, you want to agree that such a police force needs urgent reforms.

On Tuesday, July 24, the nation woke to the news of a blockade of the convoy of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, who was apparently on his way to answer to charges relating to the Offa robbery at the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), at Guzape, Abuja. Around 7.30am, the nation was alerted to video recordings, showing the blockade of Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, the road that leads to Saraki’s home.

The night before, Saraki had received summon from the police at about 8 p.m. asking him to appear at the IRT by 8 a.m. the following day. As Saraki stepped out of his house, the security cordon was unmistakable. The operatives wanted him indoors rather than on the way to Guzape. Why would the force blow hot and cold at the same time? Why should the IGP ask Saraki to appear before his men at IRT only to deploy another team to keep the same senate president indoors? That should baffle a lot of us. But the response from the police made a ridicule of the entire force. Police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, was quoted as repudiating the blockade of the Senate President. The insinuation from the police was that Saraki’s security men must have blocked the way themselves.

This is more than ridiculous. If the public had swallow whatever oozed out of their threat hook, line and sinker before now, this has to stop here. It belies reason that men attached to Saraki would also be the one to block their boss from making his way to the IRT office. It should also puzzle the right thinking men that the police, rather than investigate the conduct of its men and recommend whoever is seen to have “sabotaged” the order of the IGP, it can only speak with irritating slur on a matter that casts serious aspersions on its image and sensibility.

If you are worried about the style of communication of the police, also check out the interjection by Jimoh to the claim that the Attorney-General of the Federation had cleared the senate president. He simply said Saraki has a case to answer. That’s demeaning of a force that is supposed to use investigation as a tool. You cannot be investigating an issue and conclude ab initio that the subject has a question to answer. As far as your investigation forgoes open mindedness and forecloses the possibility of the investigations turning either left or right, your bias will definitely colour your findings. And that is what the police spokesman painted with the responses on the Saraki saga last week.

To regain some level of consciousness, the police need not only reform its communication tools and apparatus, its IG must also show that he would respect summons from other agencies such that he can command deserved respect when he summon others.