BY ROBERT OBIOHA
Though, I have not seen this administration's score card of its achievements in the past two years which President Goodluck Jonathan unveiled last week but one major problem that has dogged the Jonathan's administration since inception two years ago, is the general insecurity in the land, especially the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East geo-political zone of the country.
The menace has inexorably led to change of the leadership of some security agencies, especially the police. It was in one of such changes that brought about the headship of the Force under the present Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar.
There is no doubt that the onerous duty of the headship of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) fell on the shoulders of Abubakar at a time the general insecurity in the land was at all time high.
Though an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 12, Bauchi, his appointment as acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) when his predecessor in office, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, was relieved of his post for what some observers thought was his inability to rein in the growing insecurity in the land, especially the rampaging Boko Haram insurgents, led to the premature retirement of some seasoned cops.
That has been the usual practice in this part of the world. We always throw away so many good people just for the sake of one person.
Those cops shown the way out to pave way for Abubakar to take the mantle of leadership of the embattled Force include, Mrs. Ivy Uche Okoronkwo, DIG (Force Headquarters); Mr. Azubuko J. Udah, DIG Administration ('A' Department); Alhaji Sardauna Abubakar, DIG Training ('E' Department); Alhaji Audu Abubakar, DIG Operations ('B' Department); Alhaji Saleh Abubakar, DIG Works ('C' Department); and Mr. Mohammed A. Yesufu, DIG Planning and Info-Tech ('F' Department).
The coming on board of Abubakar, though protested in some quarters, was premised on the fact that he is a diligent officer that will give a rough fight to criminals and terrorists alike.
Despite some criticisms against certain alleged roles he played in Plateau State crisis and protests by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northern branch, there is the general belief that Abubakar will be a great improvement on the achievements of his immediate predecessor, Ringim. Abubakar's appointment to head the police was generally informed by the perceived failure of Ringim to rein in the Boko Haram menace and other forms of criminality in the land including armed banditry and kidnapping. Upon assumption of office as the new helmsman, Abubakar promised to deal with the insurgents and other forms of criminality in the land.
Yet, the criminal tendencies of the insurgents increased with much violence that even the police appeared to have no answer to the raging terror in the land. After Abubakar was confirmed as a substantive IGP, he still assured the nation, once again, that he would do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of Nigerians. He went on to say that he would ensure that justice and fair play prevail.
He also promised all officers and men of the Force that he will give the right leadership, amongst other things. Abubakar started on a very good note to check the rising criminality in the land. To his credit, police road blocks were abolished nationwide, except some states in the South-East where the police still maintain them for no just reason.
The withdrawal of police checkpoints on major highways reduced the number of hours it took commuters to travel from Shagamu to Benin. In spite of such relief, there are also some other instances in some other areas too where the road blocks have resurfaced despite the IGP's order for the usual collection of rojas from motorists.
In spite of his zero-tolerance to corruption in the Force, policemen still collect tolls from commercial drivers, especially in major motor parks and joints in Lagos and other metropolis. Although, bail is said to be free, the fact of the matter is that you still part with some wads of naira notes to bail someone from police station.
The police also ensure that you even pay for the biro and the piece of paper with which they register your complaints. In the case of arrest of an accused, the accuser is at times meant to pay for the transportation of the suspect to the police station.
Police at times confiscate commercial vehicles and even private buses and cars to enable them carry out one duty or the other at pittance or no fees at all. The police under Abubakar have changed to camouflage uniform but the uniform is yet to trickle down. Even the new uniform has not significantly enhanced the operational efficiency of the Force per se.
Police still report at the scene of crime when the criminals had left. Some policemen are allegedly fingered in some criminal activities including kidnapping.
The other new blue top upon black trousers police uniform, again worn by mainly officers is yet to reach the lower ranks. In fact, the change in uniform has not translated to change in attitude of the cops to duty. It is still business as usual. Despite the huge budgetary allocation to the Force, the average cop is not well kept. Many still wear tattered kits and even slippers while on duty.
They look shabby and unkempt most times. Our police are ill-trained and ill-equipped for the job of securing the nation. Police have suffered many casualties of the Boko Haram insurgency and the recent Ombatse cult group killing of security operative in Nasarawa State.
We need and deserve a better Police Force that what we have now. All monies allocated to the Force should be judiciously used so that our police will reckon among the best in the world. It is sad that our police are not well remunerated and they are not psychologically motivated enough for the job hence some run away upon seeing highly armed and sophisticated robbers.
The police barracks are nothing to write home about. The decrepit condition of the Ikeja Police College shown on Channels Television recently jolted the nation.
Yet the situation has not changed. The sorry state of Ikeja Police College is a pointer to the situation in other Police Colleges including the Police Detective College in Enugu where equipment and materials for practical training are reportedly totally absent.
Tragically, our policemen work under terrible and inhuman conditions. The staff strength of the Force, put at about 350,000 is not enough to police the entire country of 160 million people. Prominent Nigerians have moved for state policing as a way out of the general insecurity in the land.
However, this has been opposed by those who think that some governors will abuse it. Regardless of the merits or demerits of state policing, the bottomline is that the present structure of policing is not helping crime prevention and fighting in the land of 36 states and 774 councils. There is the need to decentralize the control of the Force for a more efficient policing.
More than one year after assumption of office, it is not in doubt that Abubakar is yet to fulfill his many promises. The living condition of an average cop has not seen any appreciable improvement. The security situation could have been worse if not for the belated state of emergency imposed by Jonathan on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states recently. Kidnapping is now a booming trade not only in the South-South and the South-East, its original abode, it has come to Lagos and spreading fast to other South-West cities of Abeokuta and Ibadan. The onus on Abubakar now is to deliver on his numerous promises.
He should ensure that Nigerians go to sleep with both eyes closed. This is a duty he should not abdicate from. Nigerians are yet to see the fruits of the deployed Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and other gadgets. The police intelligence has apparently failed to arrest growing criminality in the land.
Via: Sun News Online