By Ozioma Onyenweaku
Just stopping by to guess at what could be behind the incessant police brutality. It has got to a level where there is need to x-ray the situation with a view to identifying the root cause or causes.
I got emotional while reading, the other day, about a woman who was crying out for justice over the murder of her 45 year old husband by the Police. The woman has lost her husband, and the children have lost their father.
What grew into what we know now as the Nigeria Police Force was set up by the colonial masters in 1820. The unit was set up basically for the colonial masters’ selfish interest and inert desire for total control and oppression of the colonial territories.
Advertisement
The news is that the 45 year old Jelili Bakare popularly known as Baba Abu in Sangotedo area of Lagos State was murdered by a mobile police officer simply identified as Jonathan. The mobile police officer was attached to Thera Peace Estate, Sangotedo. He got drunk on duty and went on a shooting spree, and shot Jelili who was at Quinox VIP Lounge at the time. He shot sporadically into the air and got members of the whole community and everyone around scampering for safety. But Jelili was not fortunate enough to get to safety.
The other day, at Iyana- oworo area of Lagos State, one Tina Ezekwe, a 16 year old secondary school girl died by Police bullet. The report has it that the girl was killed by a police officer who, after shooting a commercial driver who refused to give the usual ‘ejunje’, shot at the crowd that gathered to disperse them. The bullet hit and killed the little girl.
It is not that Police brutality is new in Nigeria. There are so many case cases of such incidents. And of course, it is part of what triggered the EndSARS protest in October last year.
What could be the reason or the trigger factor to the police brutal actions? Thinking aloud, you know. This is because it is not just normal that a government unit entrusted with protecting the lives and property of citizen could so blatantly abuse that power to the extent that the power is only unleashed on those meant to be protected.
Could the fault be in their name or their origin?
What grew into what we know now as the Nigeria Police Force was set up by the colonial masters in 1820. The unit was set up basically for the colonial masters’ selfish interest and inert desire for total control and oppression of the colonial territories. These ones making up this force unit were simply the selected representatives of the colonial state. The colonial masters used them against their own people in the face of any agitation against oppressive rule. These ones enjoyed some privileges which made them overzealous ‘kotumas’
It could still be that the same colonial mentality is still affecting the operation of this government agency charged with protection of life and property of indigenes.
Possibly too, the ‘Force’ attached to their name could still rubbing off negatively on the officers; there could be something in a name, after all. I believe that the NPF needs a total reorientation and overhauling. ‘Force’ can be removed from the name, and replaced with ‘Service’, leaving us with Nigeria Police Service. That way, it imparts on them that theirs is a call to service.
We can also not rule out frustration as one of the root causes of police brutality. We all do have wants and desires. We have goals and aspirations. We work hard to have them satisfied and attained. But certain times we find out that our efforts to satisfy these desires, or attain our goals and realize our dreams are being frustrated by the system. We get frustrated. These frustrations could lead to anger. These policemen, like every one of us, have their fair share of unfulfilled desires, and unrealized dreams. Some of them have goals and aspirations frustrated by our system. So they too can get frustrated, angry and get depressed. These could lead to taking to alcohol and drugs as a succor; and the next thing, they lose it!
Frustration leads to aggression, according to the Frustration–aggression hypothesis. The theory states that frustration causes aggression; and explained that when the source of the frustration cannot be challenged, the aggression is unleashed on an innocent target. This is quite correct if we understand that when frustration breeds, there is desire to let it out.
This is definitely not giving a stamp of approval to the reckless life style and brutal acts of some of the police men. I am only looking at possible triggers.
The government has to wake up to the fact that protecting life and property is serious business, and can only be left in the hands of people whose jobs are dignified, and who are appreciated and well taken care of.