It was a fateful sunny afternoon on May 16th
2012 at oyingbo market. I and my friend Emmanuel were on our way for an
assignment. There at oyingbo market bus stop, were we negotiating with an okada
rider to take us to our precise location, some group of persons rounded us up
as if we were common criminals they were waiting for from an hideout. Immediately, I
took a thorough observation of the men. First they were not putting on the
regular black police uniform but instead they were on okirika polo.
One of the men came to me and showed up an ID card
that I could not read its letters because it was probably done with those olden
days type writers. He claimed to be a police officer. At first Emmanuel and I were embarrassed and
I thought how degrading the Nigerian police had degenerated into. There was virtually no courtesy, not even manner of approach.
With mouth oozing with the smell of ogogoro and
cigarette, the so called officer ordered that I should disclose the content of
the bag I was carrying while his other partner interrogated Emma abusively.
As infuriated as I was on the inside, I remain calm on
the outside. Then I ask him again, “can I please see that ID card of yours again
officer?” he brought it out and as I stared curiously at it, he immediately put
it back to where it came from, and immediately made a stunning gaze at me. His
partner in this presume stop and search who held a rusted AK 47gun began
telling Emma to corporate or they will deal with the both of us. The ever busy
market was bubbling with its usual trading with people. Yet, no body seems to
be bothered with harassment going on. May be they are used to this visits of
extortion by the police and so ours was nothing special to warrant any
attention from any passerby.
As the okada we intend hiring drove off the scene, the
police officer with the gun came to me and shouted at me to open up my bag for
inspection. I told him the same question I already asked his tired colleague
who looked famished and urgently needs to eat. This officer said that he did not have any ID card with him and that since I can see a gun with him why am I
bothering on asking him for an ID?
How callous this police officer thinks Nigerians are,
so because you carry a gun in broad day light and parade the streets of Lagos qualifies
you for a police man? I thought to myself. The officer looking warnout then
said:
“you no
dey see the gun way him carry, why u go dey ask am for id card eh! Make you dey
there they blow gramma ok na here una two go tanda”
As embarrassing as this experience was for me, I began
reflecting on the caliber of persons recruited to police our cities. No wonder
when criminal tend to rob in broad light, police on duty run for their dear
life, but when it comes to molesting innocent Nigerian they are ever ready. May
be that is why “police is your friend”
Emma was already tired and been furious as I was. Then
I asked both officers “can I see some warrant authorizing this stop and search exercise
they claim they were engaged in?”
This time around, they were not ready to listen to
neither myself nor Emma, the other grab his properly in a bid to threaten us.
Then I said that to Emma, if these people don’t know how to be civil and that
any attempt at forcing us would be a violation of our fundamental.” Emma nodded,
but was ready to give in to their demand. Unknown to us their aim was to accuse
us so as to lure us into a waiting yellow Lagos commercial bus parked distance
away and filled with innocent people who fell for their antics.
In the heat of the argument an elderly baba walked
into our midst, and as God would have it, the baba made the officers realize
their action was wrong, I thought maybe he was an ex-soldier from the depth of
his analysis. In the end, baba pleaded with me to open up the package I was
carrying so as to stop the quarrel that has ensued.
I did as baba instructed because of my respect for the
wisdom of the elderly and since nothing implicative was found, Emma and I was
let go.
The officers immediately jumped into their bus that
has already approached us and it speedily drove off probably to another
location to hunt down unsuspecting innocent Nigerians………….
As this experience lingers in my mind, I began asking
questions with obviously no one around to answer. Why have the Nigeria police been
reduce to this level of begging in streets without understanding its
constitutional role to society? If this is what the future of the police is in
this country, then none of us is safe anymore in the land.
YEKEME
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