UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Nigeria at 50,
Politics, Society and Development
Edited by
Babatunde Sofe1a
Victor O. Edo
Rasheed O. Olaniyi
D
~!J'" JOHN A~(!HE~S
. (PUBLISHERS) LIMITED
IBADAN
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Published for the
Department of History, University of Ibadan, Ibadan
By
JOHN ARC!HER5 (Publishers) Ltd.
40 Ojerinde Quarters
Jiboye, Apata
GPO Box 339, Dugbe, Ibadan
({)0803 4476 916,08058336156
e-mail: johnarchers@yahoo.co.uk
archers_books@hotmail.com
www.johnarchers.org.ng
© Department of History, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 2013
First published 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
'retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of Department of
History, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, the copyright owner
ISBN 978-978-52024-0-3
Editors' Acknowledgement
Many people and institutions contributed in helping to make this book publishable.
Our gratitude goes to the former Vice ChanceIlor of the University of Ibadan, Professor
O.A. Barniro; former Dean of Arts, University ofIbadan, Professor PA. Ogundeji; the
Dean of the Postgraduate School, University of Ibadan, the Director of the Distance
Learning Centre, University ofIbadan and the former Executive Secretary, Education
Trust Fund (ETF), Professor Mahmud Yakub. We acknowledge the support of the
keynote speakers during the conference - Professor O.B.C Nwolise, late Professor
K.A. Olu-Owolabi, Professor Bolade Eyinla and Professor Akin Alao. Professor Adigun
Agbaje, Professor 1.0. Albert, Professor B. Okunade, Professor AT. Simbine, Dr. O.B.
Olaoba and Dr. I.E. Ukpokolo used their wealth of experience to enrich the intellectual
debates that emanated from the presentations. We thank all the contributors for their
invaluable input and perspectives.
The successful hosting of the conference would not have been possible without
the commitment of all the members of the Ibadan School of History, University of
Ibadan. We speciaIly acknowledge Professor O.C Adesina, Professor O.A. Lawal, Dr.
CB.N. Ogbogbo. Dr. S. A. Ajayi. Dr. PK.N. Ugboajah, Dr. O.G. Muojarna and Mr. M.O.
Muritala.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction - B. Sofela, V.O.Edo and
R.o. Olaniyi 1
SECTION A: CHALLENGES OF NATION-BUILDING
Chapter 2: Nigerian Federalism and the Challenges of
Nation-building: Issues, Problems and Prospects
- Olusegun Adeyeri 15
Chapter 3: How Politics Underdeveloped Nigeria: Learning
From History that Nigeria May Survive the
Doomsday Predictions and Kick-start Locomotion
for National Greatness - o.B.e Nwolise 31
Chapter 4: Military Rule and the Failure of Legitimacy
Mobilisation Strategies in Nigeria, 1966-1993
- Paul KN Ugboajah 39
Chapter 5: Yoruba Nationalism and the Rhetoric of
Marginalisation in South-Western Nigeria,
1960-2009 - Aderemi Suleiman Ajala 82
Chapter 6: Theatre and Nation-building inNigeria Since
Independence - Remi Ademola Adedokun 109
Chapter 7: Interplay of Ethnic Politics in Russia and Nigeria
- Kayode Omotade 119
Chapter 8: Sustainable Development and the Paradox of
Ethnicity in Social Movement in Nigeria
- Dickson Ogbonnaya Igwe 140
SECTION B: FEDERALISM AND RESOURCE CONTROL
Chapter 9: Nigerian Leaders, Proliferation of States and
Federal Finance in Nigeria, 1955-1996
- Olumide VictorEkanade 157
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
SECTION F: LEADERSHIP AND VALUES
Chapter 21: Electoral Violence and the Crisis of Democratic
Experiment in Postcolonial Nigeria
- OiM. Ehinmore and o.s. Ehiabhi 351
Chapter 22: Ondo Local Government Since 1976: An Analysis
of Democracy And Development - Ajishola Omojeje 360
Chapter 23: Leadership and the Dilemma of Democracy
in Nigeria - Oluwasegun Thaddaeus Adeniyi 377
Chapter 24: Godfatherism as aFactor in Nigerian Politics
Since Independence - Adedayo Emmanuel Aft
and Solomon Tai Okajare 402
Chapter 25: Chieftaincy and Modernism: A Perspective
Explanation of Politics and Society in Nigeria
- Dolapo Zacchaeus Olupayimo 416
SECTION G: POLICING NIGERIA
Chapter 26: Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing
- R.A. Okunola, A.D. Ikuomola and K.A. Adekunbi 427
Chapter 27: Policing Trends in Nigeria Since Independence
- Ogadimma Chukwubueze Arisukwu 441
Chapter 28: Political Economy of Policing and Insecurity
in Nigeria - Agbo Uchechukwu Johnson 449
SECTION H: NIGERIA IN WORLD POLITICS
Chapter 29: Issues in Post-Soviet Russo-Nigerian Relations
- Akin Ademuyiwa 461
SECTION I: CHALLENGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 30: Railway Management in Nigeria, 1978-1990
- Mutiat Titilope Oladejo 475
Chapter 31: Post- Independence U rbanisation and the Dilemma
of Economic Development in Nigeria
- Hezekiah Daramola Olaniran 488
Chapter 32: Federal Character: The Untold Realities of the
Nigerian Geo-politics - Bola Dauda 515
vii
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing
R.A. OKUNOLA, A.D. IKUOMOLA and K.A. ADEKUNBI
26
INTRODUCTION
Security of life and property is a fundamental human right guaranteed in the
Nigerian constitution. Efforts have been made by successive administrations,
especially since 1999, to provide this. However, growing poverty, wide income
disparities, high level of unemployment, social dislocation caused by massive
rural-urban migration and the breakdown of societal values leading to business
frauds (419, drug abuse, etc.), and community unrest account for the growing
concern about the level of uncertainty and security in parts of the country.
The institutions that were established to guarantee security to the ordinary
citizen are incapacitated by limited manpower and skills relative to society's
demand, poor funding, poor equipment and general lack of proper orientation
and commitment by some operatives. A weak economy can only aggravate
the situation (Rotimi, 2001, Otubu, and Coker, 2006). In its effort to improve
on the situation, the Government has taken several measures among which
427
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
428 Nigeria at 50: Politics, Society and Development
are the establishment of the Independent Corrupt Practices Court, the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the implementation
of the recommendations of the Justice Kayode Eso Commission of Inquiry,
strengthening of institutions such as NAFDAC and substantially raising the
manpower strength, equipment and mobility of the Police. However, a lot
still remains to be done to attain the level of security and the administration
of justice, which Nigerians deserve. There are several legislations and
regulations put in place to assist the police at carrying out this duty of protection
of life and properties of the citizen and the provision of internal security of
the nation. One of such legislation is the Police Act. By virtue of the provision
of section 4 of the Police Act:
The police shall be employed for the prevention and detection of crime, the
apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection
of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulation with
which they are directly charged ... I
Arising from the above provision and in line with the topic of this paper
it can be said that there is a bit of silence on the way and manner policing
should be done regarding information gathering.
Recent happenings in community based violent crimes have shown the
ineffectiveness of the Nigeria police in security and intelligence-information
gathering in nipping criminal and deviant activities in the bud. Contributively,
capacity building and the failure of the state to qualitatively invest in modern
policing strategies with regards to the socio-cultural characteristics of the
nation have not helped matters. Similarly, investment in police intelligence
has not been taken seriously. This paper examines the Nigerian police and
policing strategies especially in relation to intelligence-information gathering
since independence. Major findings revealed that despite modern and
community policing strategies, changes are still being described as combative
and reactive rather than proactive. Also, over the years investment in policing
has dwindled and mainly responsible for the continuous breakdown in law and
order. Therefore, this paper suggests among others, that the concept of true
federalism should be incorporated in the Nigeria policing structure in line with
the American model of policing.
POLICING IN NIGERIA AND SECURITY SERVICE REFORMS
There is no doubt that since the mid-70s, Nigeria has been experiencing what
is referred to in criminological literature as a crime-problem (Odekunle, 2004).
This has been highlighted in various dimen~ions raging from incidence and
seriousness, which lingers from the usual to the unusual creating a monstrous
atmosphere for the people and security agencies in fighting crime. The reportage
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing 429
of assassination, armed robberies and big-time fraud only serve to undermine
the required appreciation of the enormity of the burden on the average citizen
regarding thefts, burglaries, and assaults. The cost and consequences of crime
for the population are pointers to the inefficiency of the Nigeria police. These
are realities that must be curtailed. In this regard various ethnic groups in the
country had to seek for alternative means of security. For instance the Oodua
people's Congress, among the Yoruba, Egbesu boys for the Igbo, and Arewa
Youth Vanguard for the Hausa, among others, became involved in security
business. The height of some of these alternative security measures was also
embedded in the agitation and popular support for Sharia in some northern
states. According to Olaniyi (2005), the outburst of the agitation for a strict
implementation of Sharia law in Nigeria with reference to the (Northern
Nigeria, was motivated by general disenchantment, deteriorating social
conditions and ineffective policing. These have been attributed to the
continuous attachment and redeployment of police officers to private
individuals, top government officials and companies for security purpose to
the detriment of the populace, irrespective of the low staff strength of the
police force in the country. The police have been described as alien to the
people because they are usually deployed to regions they know little about
and sometimes to areas that are completely strange to them, a factor attributed
to the militaristic behaviour of the most security agents in Nigeria (Heap,
2000; Ismail, 2008).
From an examination of police reform in the post-colonial states of sub-
Saharan Africa it is clear that African police forces evolve, not in the sense of
a linear progression towards a Western model of catching criminals and
being publicly accountable but through adapting to political developments
and accommodating regimes. As a result, historical inheritance, socio-political
pressures, personal ambition, political contingencies, and institutional resilience
have shaped them much more than any aid programme. Based on this record,
Hills (2001) notes that security sector reform programmes have yet to engage
with the nature of the political power inhibiting effectiveness of the police.
There is no doubt that, since the mid-70s, Nigeria has been experiencing
what is referred to in criminological literature as a "crime-problem" (Odekunle,
2004). A situation where crime, in terms of incidence and seriousness, passes
from the normal or tolerable level to the pathological state is worth calling a
social problem, which requires a multiple task on the part of the police, the
community and government. The task of crime prevention is a hazardous
and tedious exercise. Not only must the police officers be intelligent, brave
and assiduous at duty, the organisation must provide the wherewithal with'
which the police-officer must do the task. In carrying out crime prevention
tasks, the Nigerian police have availed itself of all of the following
mechanisms:
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
430 Nigeria at SO:Politics, Society and Development
Beat Patrols
A beat is the area which a particular constable or group of constables is
detailed to patrol during a single tour of duty. It may be a precinct in a city or
town, as small as a couple of streets, depending on the density of the
population, the known rate of crimes, the economic or administrative
importance of the establishment or building in the area. In the rural areas, it
may be a collection of villages or hamlets or a stretch of kilometres of our
national borders. Depending on the size, nature and extent of the beat to be
covered the concerned police officer may trek, go on bicycles, horsebacks, or
vehicles, and where necessary with the assistance of police trained dogs (this
has become rare and non-existent after independence). The primary object of
the beat patrol system is to disperse policemen in a way that will possibly
eliminate or reduce the opportunity for misconduct and to increase the
likelihood that an offender will be apprehended while he is committing an
offence or immediately thereafter. The strong likelihood of immediate
apprehension, no doubt, has a strong deterrent effect on potential offenders
(Ismail and Abiodun, 2007).
Going by this, most crime would have been nipped in the bud and the
attendant cost of prosecution, and incarceration would be avoided. A corollary
effect of the beat system was the moribound policy of posting Divisional
Police Officers (DPOs) to their locality in the 70s and 80s. The situation was
such that Otubu and Coker (2000) laud the policy, as well as highlighting the
so-called Nigerian Factor in the body polity for its demise. The policy would
have gone a long way at assisting the police in their crime prevention duties
and stem the tide of official corruption in the institution. Arguably, a police
officer working within his locality is more likely to know the dark spots in
the area and probably the criminals and potential criminals in his
neighbourhood. As an indigene he will be circumspect at collecting bribes
from members of the community as victims can easily trace his roots in the
community and thus become stigmatised.
Inasmuch as this system is cheap on the long run and desirable in its
import, it will not work well in an environment of distrust, ethnic bias,
nepotism and corruption. The system will also fail except and unless there is
adequate logistic and institutional support both from the government and
the private sector in the country. Since the system rests strongly on prompt,
efficient and effective communication network, it may fail where there is no
support system like good roads reliable communication system and efficient
energy backup. Also, the initial capital outlay for the implementation of the
system nationally may be outlandish. In spite of this, one may also agree that
crime detection and prevention task has improved since the introduction of
GSM telephony in the country.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing 431
Anti-Vice Squads
This is a surveillance squad operating in disguise and carrying out intelligent
surveillance of areas that one potentially breeding grounds for various vices
such as gambling, prostitution, rioting, etc. They operate at large gatherings,
public places, and motor parks, etc. where theft and affray have been found to
be rampant. The objective of the squad is to gather information and provide
proactive measures to prevent the commission of crime and where that fails,
to at least immediately apprehend the criminals at the point of commission
of the offence. This measure has been used at various times, with varying
degrees of success, by the police authorities to carry out raids on these breeding
places of crime. Such raids have led times to arrest and prosecution of drug
users and peddlers, arms dealers and robbers, etc. Through the system is
good as a measure of crime prevention, its use over a long period of time is
doubted. Not only is it expensive to run on a long time basis but it also
imparts negatively on the public image posture of the police; for it implies a
fire brigade approach to crime prevention and management. The system can
also be easily abused by overzealous police officers.
Stop, Detain and Search
By virtue of the powers conferred by the provision of section 25 of the Police
Act, a police officer on beat is expected to be vigilant and on his suspicion
being aroused, entitled to stop, detain and search any person whom he
reasonably suspects of having in his possession or conveying in, any manner
anything he has reason to believe has been stolen or unlawfully obtained or
with reference to which an offence has been committed. This mechanism,
when sedulously employed in a police jurisdiction, yields tremendous results
for detecting offences, as much as preventing them.
Specie. Escorts
Armed policemen guarding large sum of money, valuables or explosives in .
transit is a service rendered free of charge to government and quasi-
governmental agencies, but on payment of fees, to private organisations and
individuals.
Static Guards
This was a time honoured important anti crime prevention model adopted
in Europe and the US, partially in Nigeria during the colonial era and the
first and second republic, through this model, police guards are provided at
public sphere to check ingress and exit of customers and clients etc and prevent
crimes is relation to such establishments (Laitin, 1982). It is true that this
crime prevention method is gradually fading with the development, private
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
432 Nigeria at SO:Politics, Society and Development
guards, and the use of close-circuit monitors, it is, however, been used with
respect to public institutions and installations. The recent damage to oil
pipelines and gas stations by militants and hoodlums readily comes to mind
(Kialegee, 2005; Ahmed, 2006; Ikporupo, 2007).
National Security
The police in collaboration with the relevant state security agencies also provide
surveillance network on the activities of persons considered security risks in
order to prevent sabotage and subversion of the nation and its established
institutions internally. Nevertheless, internal security over the years have been
described as pathetic as notable as well as unknown individuals have lost
their lives, and till date these a lot of these deaths have not been resolved
based on either the slow pace of investigation processes in the Nigeria force
notable murder cases that have not been resolved such as that of the killers of
Bola Ige, former Minister of Justice in December 2001 at Ibadan; Barrister
and Mrs. Igwe in September 2002 at Onitsha; Alhaji Isiaku Muhammed in
September 2002 in Kano, Sir Theodore Agwatu in February 2003 in Owerri;
Chief Ogbonna Uche also in February 2003 and Dr. Harry Mashall in March
2003 among other attempted cases of murders and theft cases. Situations like
these have called the Nigerian police and policing strategies especially in
relation to intelligence information gathering since independence to questions.
Accounting for these is the dismal image of the police overtime which has
also led to the non-cooperation by the public who are often reluctant to
volunteer useful information to the police (Olujinmi, 2004; Bruce and Neild,
2004.). Yet, the tasks of crime prevention and detection as well as prosecution
of offenders cannot be successfully performed without the cooperation of the
public. It is in this regard that Odekunle (2004) highlights the challenges
facing policing under four major yardsticks:
(1) Effectiveness (fewer or reduced criminal victimisation; higher
proportion of crimes known to the police cleared by arrest; increased
recovery of stolen property; higher rates of arrests which result in
conviction: lower traffic accident rates; faster response time to
reports/ complaints). .
(2) Responsiveness (higher citizen perception of safety from crime; higher
citizen ratings of police performance in general; higher citizen ratings
of specific police activities; higher citizen ratings of specific aspects
of police conduct such as honesty, integrity, courtesy and fairness).
(3) Equity (with reference to egalitarian distribution of "protection" to
all sections of the population).
(4) Efficiency (with reference to cost-and-benefit analysis of "protection"
output relative to monetary, human and material input).
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing 433
Based on the above meanings and measurement of efficient policing,
there is no doubt that policing in Nigeria is not where it was after
independence. Judged by the yardsticks outlined, it has long been clear to a
majority of Nigerians that the police short of optimum performance especially
in the area of intelligence and information gathering.
COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRIME PREVENTION
Public hostility and indifference are the most perplexing problems the police
force is experiencing today. The Nigerian publics have come to demand so
high an expectation from the police. The top hierarchy of the police does not
begrudge them for doing so. No one is more sensitive to the great and urgent
need for more efficient and effective law enforcement than the top brass of
the force. They not only appreciate but also concede that without the full and
in compromising support of the public, their efforts cannot fructify. The
problem, however, is that the public do not direct their minds to the limitations
placed on police capabilities by various factors not of their own making. The
individual citizen fails to appreciate that he is equally responsible for law
enforcement and that he has powers and obligations under the law to
accomplish this task. If he was an eyewitness of a crime, he would rather
decide to look the other way than perform what one may regard his civic, if
not legal, duty to come forward to give the police necessary information in
his possession.
Amongst the many criticisms that have been levelled against the police
and quoted as responsible for the not too inspiring police/public relations are
the followings:
(i) The police are too corrupt.
(ii) The police are high headed and prove too combative rather than
proactive.
(iii) The police delay members of the public unnecessarily at police
stations, even when they are complainants or witnesses.
(iv) The police are inefficient and hence continuous harassment of the
public who ought to be partners in the investigative and crime
preventive strategies.
Irrespective of these shortcomings of the police which is futile to deny,
individuals and communities within the society owes the singular
responsibilities, amongst others, to be conscious of their self preservative rights.
This right is best exemplified when you try to anticipate and prevent yourself
from being harmed by the action of others. By so doing individuals are
carrying out their civil and legal duty of crime prevention in the society.'
This task of crime prevention is not achieved through retaliatory actions or
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
434 Nigeria at 50: Politics, Society and Development
pre-emptive violence but by promptly reporting such incident or fact to the
law enforcement agency, the police or any closest agency depending on the
urgency. In essence all hands must be on deck to achieve the task and we all
have a responsibility and a role to play in the task of crime prevention. The
situation at hand reveals the loss of interest in the police and, invariably, this
has made a lot of people who hitherto knew their obligation to have either
forgotten or deliberately ignore their self-preservation duty of reporting crime
to the police by virtue of the provision of section 34(b) of the Criminal
Procedure Act, which states that "every person is bound to assist a Police
officer the preventive or suppression of a breach of the peace". 3
Effective and Efficient Policing in Nigeria: Inadequacies, Problems and
Obstacles
There is abundant official and research confirmation of this assertion, apart
from information in the daily newspapers, and there is no need to "prove"
the non-optimum performance of the police in the present contribution. Rather,
what is needed is the identification of the major inadequacies, problems and
obstacles that are responsible for the situation. And these may be grouped
into three categories: material inadequacies; human problems; and obstacles
external to the police.
Material Inadequacies
Material input in terms of funding, crime-prevention/control, detection,
investigation, traffic-control and accident-prevention, communication and
data-gathering research needs are not only inadequate but are unrealistic as
well. The authorities of the police have always provided the technical details
of these material inadequacies, even if sometimes exaggerated for obvious
reasons. For example, between 1994 and 2003, the amount of funds actually
released to the police relative to its request for capital vote ranged from 0
percent for 2003 to 9.5 percent in 1998; and for overhead costs, amount
released ranged from 4 percent in 2003 to 5 percent in 1998 and 2002. Yet,
the Force is supposed to cover a population of about 120 million Nigerians,
spread over more than 926,000 sq. km. of land. Relatedly, as Okunola (2006)
demonstrates, the Nigeria police is far from Nigerians whom they are supposed
to police. Arising from the centre-periphery focus of development strategy in
development, police stations and operational nerves are concentrated in centres
and the police apparatus and operations thins off as you move father into the
more remote areas. Thus, and consequently arising from this is that the police
have little or no direct information about the grassroots especially. This in
turn results in reactive operations rather than pro-active operations in terms
of policing
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing 435
Human Problems
Had the quality of the human or personnel resources of the Force been
optimum, the material inadequacies might have been partially ameliorated.
In other words, the police have human problems that not only aggravate its
material insufficiencies, but are also of tremendous adverse import on its
general performance from one day to the next. The following are the major
factors responsible for this category of problems:
(1) The colonial origin and heritage of the police which continue to
influence the selection, training and orientation of a majority of
policemen;
(2) Improper, inefficient and, sometimes corrupt and nepotistic methods
of recruitment (bad enough to require a re-verting exercise for some
recruited officers in 2002 and 2003 respectively);
(3) Insufficient length of training-period and attention in training
recruits for the "rank and file";
(4) Lopsided emphasis (in training curricula) towards "drill",
paramilitary work, and "mechanistic" teaching of law and police
work;
(5) Exposure of recruits to only "professional police officers" and only
in exclusive police institutions;
(6) Existence of "deviant" but durable "police sub-culture" which
moulds the "working personality" of new constables;
(7) Discourtesy, nonchalant attitude to reports of citizen complaints,
dishonesty, corruption, abuse or misuse of the authority to arrest,
detain or use force by a substantial number of policemen on the
streets, in the station, etc;
(8) Organisational emphasis on "episodic" raids and "temporary"
successes instead of systematic beat; and the scape-goating of the
so-called "bad-eggs" instead of engaging in systematic re-orientation
of policemen;
(9) Offensive aggression, potentially and actually, manifested by the
reputation ("notoriety" is better word) and "macho" conduct of
the Mobile Police (e.g., suppressing rather than managing riots and
demonstra tions);
(10) The adverse effects of the last two factors in producing a negative
public-image for the police;
(II) The adverse effects of the last three factors in fostering poor police-
community relations;
(12) Discouraging salary, conditions of service, rank-mobility, promotion
criteria and procedure for the "rank and file", recent efforts to
improve the situation notwithstanding;
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
436 Nigeria at 50: Politics, Society and Development
(13) Insufficient usage, if at all, of outside help (e.g., research) because
of police traditional obsession with "security" and a "know-all-
about crime" mentality.
(14) Absence of an overall crime-prevention/control policy, body and
planning;
(15) Political interference and the feeling of accountability by the police
to the "government of the day" rather than to the rule of law and
the people (i.e. a carry-over from the colonial period and the
succeeding military regimes);
(16) A materialistic, greedy, corrupt and indiscipline socio-economic
environment (i.e. a society gets what police force it deserves); and
(17) The burdensome character of our inherited legal system (from the
substantive and procedural law through justice administration to
offender-correction) which has never been meaningfully or social-
scientifically reviewed to make justice "real" rather than "technical",
and speedy rather than delayed.
The Way Forward: A Systemic Approach
There are no quick fixes to the problem facing the Nigerian police. Improving
training or salaries alone, or pressing criminal charges against selected
individuals, will not produce more than shallow and short-term results if
programs do not also correct broader institutional weaknesses that permit,
enable, or encourage corruption. International experts agree that policing
reforms are long-term, even generational, efforts (Uruena, 2003; Uzendo,
2006; Neild, 2007). While important results can be achieved in the short
term, consolidating and sustaining those achievements over time remains a
major challenge. Given constant opportunities for corruption in policing, it
is important to take systemic and long-term approaches. Programmes that
address police corruption as part of a larger focus on good governance across
all state institutions may face less resistance than programs that make the
police feel singled out. It is equally important to identify and address linkages
across the criminal justice system as a whole.
At the simplest level, when police believe that judges are "bought off,"
they have little incentive to pursue a serious investigation and every reason to
take the bribe themselves before the case reaches the courts. In reality, a series .
of linkages exists in efforts to increase probity and professionalism across the
criminal justice system. Efforts to enhance judicial independence and improve
access to justice should be aligned with policing reforms: projects addressing
judicial independence could undertake parallel initiatives to improve the
operational independence of the police. Both police corruption and the
conduct and success rate of criminal prosecutions may be addressed by
strengthened prosecutorial and judicial oversight of police investigations.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing 437
Prosecutors and courts must hold the police criminally liable for acts of
corruption. Projects that aim to improve the speed of trial processes through
better case management could include systems to register and track detainees in
police cells and help restrict abuse. Despite their potential efficiencies, these and
other synergies between police and justice reform are too little explored. Major
focal concerns in restoring a better policing system should therefore be on:
(1) Democratic Policing: Within the police, reform strategies that
emphasise accountability, transparency, and professional practices
should produce overall gains in efficiency, as well as greater
responsiveness to the communities they serve. Good democratic
policing practices, such as improving standards, selection, training,
and salaries, can contribute to improved conditions of service,
capacity, professionalism, and morale. The introduction of
performance indicators and well-defined job descriptions will support
merit-based systems for assignments and promotions.
(2) Build Public Support: In settings characterised by weak political will,
building public awareness of the extent and dynamics of corruption
and generating pressure for change may be essential first steps toward
institutional reform. Strong demand-side pressure for performance
enhancement is equally as important as institutionally focused
initiatives. Ongoing public concern is especially necessary in the
face of allegedly competing priorities, such as rising crime, which
allow police to argue for increased powers rather than increased
accountability. A more informed public and policy debate would
benefit from reliable-data. Public perceptions of corruption tend to
be very general, and police corruption is often viewed as endemic
even where specific dynamics are, in fact, more limited. Widely
shared misperceptions can feed accusations of corruption when
police conduct legal actions such as levying fees for certain services
and issuing on-the-spot fines. Research and information campaigns
can provide insights into practices and problems and identify
constructive solutions that reform advocates can use to keep the
issue on the public agenda even when reform efforts may be stalled.
Nevertheless, caution should be exercised hi building external
strategies that focus exclusively on police corruption, particularly
criminal corruption, but also politically biased policing. Civil society
groups maybe subjected to reprisals and even attacks in response to
public revelations and criticisms. A risk analysis and careful
consultation with potential civil society partners should be
undertaken as part of the assessment and development of an external
strategy on police corruption.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
438 Nigeria at 50: Politics, Society and ~Iopment
(3) Counter-Police Resistance: Police have considerable capacity for
resistance. Police are also keenly aware of the political impact that
their action or inaction may have for a government, and can seek
to temper official pressures by asserting the need for resources, powers,
or political backing in order to deal effectively with social unrest,
demonstrations, and other public order issues. Political pressures
that challenge deeply vested police interests may compete with a
government's need for effective police action, particularly in highly
visible public order policing. In these settings, the clear ability of the
police - through act or omission - to produce negative political
outcomes can result in a softening of government support for reform.
(4) Recognise the Limits of Community Policing: The introduction of
community policing strategies does not necessarily address police
corruption neither does it enhance intelligence-information gathering
all alone. The police may as easily become embroiled in local power
structures as national ones, and with greater distance from
accountability mechanisms that are too often located only in capitals
and large cities. Local needs policing was implemented to positive
effect in the context of a holistic police reform as shown in Sierra
Leone (Horn, et. al., 2006). This contrasts, however, with less positive
appraisals of the impact of community policing in Uganda and
Kenya, where recent human rights reports argue that community
policing should only be implemented once systemic problems in
policing have been addressed (Commonwealth Human Rights
Initiative, 2006). These latter experiences suggest that clear national
standards and accountability mechanisms should be in place before
implementing community policing to avoid the risk of reinforcing
undemocratic local authorities and power structures.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
With a total police force of about 110,000 in 1999, the number of the force
has almost quadrupled in the last decade to about 410,000 in 2009 (Ismail,
2008). The challenge now is to make the police more effective. To enable the
police meet the challenges of modem policing and crowd control, as well a~
eliminate the incidence of corrupt tendencies, a major thrust of policy will be
to build capacity through training of police personnel, pursue paradigm shift
in orientation of the police force and better equip the force to improve its
image, responsive-ness to distress calls and adopting a more proactive approach
to crime prevention and detection. Specific initiatives would include:
(1) Re-orientation to improvethe quality of service;
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Issues in Nigerian Security and Policing 439
(2) Increased use of scientific methods in policing - to enhance the
quality of evidence and investigation;
(3) Introduction of appropriate equipment and development of an
exclusive communication system - to improve police effectiveness;
and
(4) Capacity building, training and re-training as well as involvement
of communities in policing.
The police will be properly trained and equipped to enhance their
effectiveness in combating crimes. The level of entry into the force will be
raised to a minimum of aND, gradually rising to HND and degree level.
With the advent of the GSM telephony, sophisticated gadgets and improved
fleet of vehicles, the performance of the police should increase.
Lastly, inasmuch as the above mentioned initiatives are cheap, achievable
on the long run and desirable in its import, it will not work well in an
environment of distrust, ethnic bias, nepotism and corruption. The Nigeria
police is part and parcel of the entire system; it can only get better if adequate
logistic and institutional support from the government, community and the
private sector are properly harnessed in the state. Since the system rests strongly
on prompt, efficient and effective communication networks, it may fail where
there is no support system like good roads reliable communication system
and efficient energy backup. Also, the initial capital outlay for the
implementation of the system nationally may be outlandish. In spite of this,
however, you will also agree with me that crime detection and prevention
task has improved since the introduction of GSM telephony in the country
and much is still expected.
ENDNOTES
1. Section 4 Police Act Cap 359 LFN 1990.
2. Section 24 (1) Police Act.
3. Sections 201 and 200 of the Criminal Code.
REFERENCES
Ahmed, A. (2006). Pipeline Sabotage in Nigeria and Oil Pollution Damage Out of
Context. Available at http://www.amariaonline.com/arcpipeline.htm
(accessed 21 October 2006).
Bruce, D. and Neild, R. (2004). The Police That We Want; A Handbook for
Oversight of Police in South Africa, Johannesburg and New York, Centre [or
the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Open Society Justice Initiative and
Open Society Foundation for South Africa.
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) (2006). The Police, The People,
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
440 Nigeria at 50: Politics, Society and Development
The Politics; Police Accountability in Kenya, Uganda, and Delhi. London.
Heap, S. (2000). 'Colonial "Area Boys": Male Juvenile Delinquents on Lagos Island'.
Paper presented at the Conference 'Africa: Past, Present and Future', African
Studies Association of the UK Biennial Conference, Trinity College,
Cambridge, 11-13 September.
Horn, A., Olonisakin, F., and Peake, G. (2006). United Kingdom-Led Security
Sector Reform in Sierra Leone. Civil Wa~, Vol. 8, (2), pp. 109-123.
Ikelegbe, A. (2005). The economy of conflict in the oil rich Niger Delta region of
Nigeria. Nordic Journal of African Studies 14(2):208-234.
Ikporupo, c.o. (2007). The Niger-Delta: the Geography of Terrorism and the
Terror of Geography: A Valedictory Lecture, Department of Geography,
University of Ibadan, 27 June.
Ismail, 0. (2008). Youth, Political Violence and Human Security: A Case Study of
Lagos, Nigeria (1999-2007), Ph.D thesis submitted to the Department of
Peace Studies, University of Bradford.
Ismail, 0. and Abiodun, A. (2007). Youth in the Interface of Development and
Security. Journal of Conflict, Security and Development 7(1): 3-26.
Laitin, D.D. (1982). The Sharia Debate and the Origins of Nigeria's Second
Republic," Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 20, No.3, pp. 411-430.
Neild, R. (2007). Anticorruption and Police Integrity. USAID Program Brief:
Security Sector Reform, p. 12.
Odekunle, F. (2004). Overview of Policing in Nigeria: Problems and Suggestions in
Crime and Policing in Nigeria, Challenges and Options. Alemika E.E.o. and
Chukwuma, r.c. (ed) CLEEN Foundation Publication Nigeria, pp. 22-34.
Okunola, RA. (2006). The Limits of General Criminal Law: A Study of Traditional
Institutions in Crime Management in Rural Nigeria, Ph.D thesis, University
ofIbadan.
Olaniyi, R.o. (2005). Community Vigilantes in Metropolitan Kano, Ibadan: IFRA.
Olujinmi, A. (2004). Crime and Policing in Nigeria. A Keynote Address in Crime
and Policing in Nigeria, Challenges and Options. Alemika E.E.o. and
Chukwuma, r.c. (ed) CLEEN Foundation Publication Nigeria, pp. 19-21.
Otubu, A.K. and Coker S.A. (2006). Police and Crime Prevention in Nigeria
Rotimi, K. 2001. The Policein aFederal State: The Nigerian Experience, Ibadan: College
Press Ltd., p. 11.
Uruens, N (200J). Police Corl1lplioJ1:Paradigl114. Models ami COl1Cepl. in Stanley Einsten
and Menachem Amir (eds.), Challenges for Developing Countries, Office of
International Criminal Justice (OICJ) Sam Houston State University. .
U zendo, M. (2006). "IGP to Officers - You Can't Take Weapons Home, "Champion
Daily, Lagos, Nigeria, 13 September. . .".
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY