Profile Of Extrajudicial killings By Some Nigerian Police Officers
Inspector-General of Police (IG) Solomon Arase who spoke at the Nigeria Police Force Health Policy Revalidation meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, January 12, hinted that the force is considering conducting psychiatric test on recruits and officers.
The IG said the initiative became necessary following incidents of indiscriminate use of firearms by personnel of the force, which usually result to extrajudicial killings.
Prior to the IG’s initiative, a Human Rights Watch researcher for Nigeria, Eric Guttschuss, was quoted in a BBC report in May 2009, to have stated that: “extrajudicial killing in the police remains a shocking common occurrence.”
This assessment was in reaction to the June 7 and 8, 2005 cold-blooded murder of five young male traders and a female student popularly known in the history of extrajudicial killings in the country as the “Apo six.”
The five young traders were murdered in cold blood on that unfortunate day shortly after leaving Grand Mirage Hotel, Abuja where they went for a party. The sixth victim, Arebun, who visited her boyfriend, Uzor, accompanied them to the outing. Arebun was allegedly strangled to death by a police officer in a bid to silent her from contradicting the police version of the incident after they killed the five boys.
In January 2013, precisely eight years after the ‘Apo 6’ killing, nothing much had changed in the manner the Nigeria police officials conduct themselves. The former Inspector General of Police MD Abubakar, in his acting capacity then, admitted publicly that the “police is corrupt and it commits extrajudicial killings.” The then IG complained that the image of the force had deteriorated to the lowest ebb because police officers were involved in a cesspool of corruption as their stations and checkpoints have been turned into “bribery collection points.”
But unfortunately, these extrajudicial killings by trigger happy policemen remained a trend in the country. In the year 2013 and 2015, police officials are still deeply involved in extrajudicial killings. To mention but a few of such killings, Naij.com profiled some of the extrajudicial killings that occurred in the years under review.
In August 20, 2013, a police officer, in Ikorodu area of Lagos state, allegedly killed a student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure – FUTA – for disobeying the state’s transport law. The victim, Kunle, aka Ifa, was hustling with a motorcycle to generate some money while waiting for the Nigerian government and university lecturers to settle an ongoing strike and call students back to campus.
On August 11, 2014, two police officers, corporal Agada Lawrence and Corporal Kenneth allegedly killed the son of the former Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Fidelis Okoro, in Abuja. The victims whose names were given as Mr. John Chukwuemeka Okoro and his friend Sunday Markus alias Sunday Black were killed at the Durumi district of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, by a police patrol team.
In early May, 2015, a tricycle driver, Akeem Aranse was allegedly shot dead by an assistant superintendent of police, identified as Mohammed, during an argument in Shasha, Akowonjo area of Lagos state.
On September 18, 2015, a police corporal attached to Isheri-Oshun Division in Lagos state fired a shot at a moving tricycle along Isheri/ Ijegun road, killing the wife of the operator, Idongesit Ekpo, on the spot. Mr Ekpo later died of the bullets wounds he sustained during the incident.
On November 7, 2015, operatives of the Department of Security Service (DSS) stormed a wedding venue at Kugbaru community in Karu local government area of Nasarawa state and shot at a newly wedded couple and some guests. The fate of the couple is still unknown till now.
On December 27, 2015, tears flowed freely in Ketu area of Lagos state, after a policeman identified as Stephen James, who was alleged to be under the influence of cannabis shot dead three persons and himself in a popular hotel in the area. The deceased were twin brothers named Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle as well as their friend, Jeje.
On December 27, 2015, a Lagos based businessman identified as Sam Belonwu and two other persons were killed by a drunk police sergeant at a traditional wedding ceremony at Uruagu-Nnewi, in Amambra state. Belonwu’s life was cut short three days to his own wedding.
It will be pertinent to know that psychiatric test should not only be conducted on recruits instead the Nigeria Police should start such a brilliant initiative from within. The force should go in depth in restructuring the content of its training for officers. Their mindset should be redirected to focus on service and protection of lives and properties.
Police officer who performed poorly in training should not be allowed to carry fire arms and the force should also make it its crux to carry out background check on recruit to ascertain if they have a questionable character before being enlisted to serve their fatherland.
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