POLICE PALAVA
Police brutality in my country has almost become a permanent phenomenon, there is nothing anyone can do about this again, as days passes on the problems resulting from police becomes more and more. The oppression of the masses both the elite and illiterates by our police is soon becoming an order of the day. Someone said the military are brutal, and wicked, I bet you that if given the opportunity like the military to rule this country just for a week, the police will turn all citizens of the country into slaves, I bet you.
Policemen have become so brutal and wicked to extent that they not only just collect bribes from both the obedient and law-biding citizens of this country, they again take from the law breakers to enable them disobey the law, and the most annoying reason why this article came into existence is the brutal killing of innocent citizens by the police.
Policemen now kill innocent citizens who go about their legitimate businesses, leaving the blood-sucking armed robbers who cart away millions of naira from our banks all the time. Its time we tell the police to live up to what is expected of them. These murders in black clothes or uniform should start shooting armed robbers who oppresses the innocent citizens of this great nation; we are tired of hearing their excuses. Police should stop shooting tax-payers; let them start saving their bullets for the rainy day when they will be attacked by armed robbers.
How on earth! Police have turned themselves into the devil himself, how can the police look the other way, so that the armed robber can operate, then come around harass, beat, shoot and even kill innocent citizens all in the name of investigation.
A lot of crimes are being committed by police against the normal citizens of the society on daily basis, policemen are crooked, and most policemen lack dignity. The thinking of an average policeman is how he would take bribe even on matters that would not have needed to be paid for if bribe was to be allowed in a society. I have a lot of stories I can tell about police, I have worked with them, I have been a victim of their brutality several times, and I have been a witness of their several brutalities not to talk of the ones I read and see on television.
I think so policemen are watching too much action movies, but mind you in even in those movies we see, which is fiction, far from reality, producers still ensures that in the movies, policemen shoots with good reasons, police don’t shoot harmless people, who goes about minding their business just because they couldn’t extort Twenty naira from them, sorry its suddenly changed to fifty naira now. I thought bribery and forceful taking of money from people on the road would have reduced by now, but oh! No, it’s gone worse.

They now hang out on our roads as early as five in the morning extorting money from drivers of personal and commercial cars. The worse-hit of this act of the police is the “okada” riders in Lagos. In my area if you have to go out before six in the morning you cannot get an “okada” to take you out because simply put, police would ask for money and they are not willing to pay. Most of them who are ready to give policemen money complained that each time they passed on the same road they have to “roger” the policemen, meaning that they have to give money.
I won’t tell you all I know about police in this edition, we will get gist as we go on in this publication. I will share my personal experiences with you. I agree however that not all police are corrupt, I have met a few that are honest, but I bet you, that is just like one, out of a thousand. Sometimes I wonder if policemen are watching too much action movies, even in this action movies which are fiction, policemen shoot with good reasons, they don’t shoot harmless people, just because they couldn’t make them part with some change. I agree that not all policemen are bad eggs. I am not a policeman but I know that there are police officers who are still decent enough that could stand upright even in the mid of high level of corruption within the police. Let the few good ones stand up and bluff all oppositions, they should not get bothered whether they are recognized for being doing the right thing, after all it is much better to make attempt and get promoted than to be corrupt and get disgraced. Let one policeman single himself out, it could earn him some great positions in the future, David in the Holy bible was the smallest amongst his brethren, he however took up challenges which his older brethren couldn’t, he took risky adventures which could have cost his life, you know the price- he was lifted, from living as a common boy he started living amongst princes, and royal men, before becoming a king. Look at Nelson Mandela who has earned a great respect in hearts of many; Africans, Americans, name it! I mean even if you die without attaining that, you would have died with pride of upholding the truth, and your name will be written in gold forever like the likes of Dele Giwa and others in our memory till date. I think it is much better than being a billionaire for a while, then paraded as a thief with handcuffs all over the televisions and Newspapers.
The development of a state does not lie in hands of the governor alone, it is a common thing for people to criticize governors so much, what if the government of the day is doing its best to bring good life to its people, while we have people who vandalizes social amenities, people being so indiscipline much as to litter the streets with dirt’s. What if the government is doing so much while the police is not helping manage crime on the streets but are only after Twenty-twenty naira notes, I mean the police that should be protecting citizens. Now when they go to a “joint” to raid Indian hemp peddlers and smokers, you know what they are going for “egunje” once they don’t get this “egunje” police cells will be filled up, but once they get their bribe, that’s the end of their raiding.
Its time for a policeman to single himself out and take up the challenge. “Take responsibility” like my pastor would say, “responsibility is a price for greatness”. We want to start hearing news of how police saved people’s life, how police stood by the truth and refused bribe, how police helps uphold justice rather than oppress people, we want to stop seeing police bullying people, and truly being friends of the people like they have always claimed.
Police can help build a better Nigeria. God bless Nigeria.