RISING RATE OF KILLINGS BY THE POLICE, WHO WILL TAME THE MONSTER?

Babalola Yusuf Abiola

These days Nigerians are always assailed with reports of extrajudicial killings by men of the Nigeria police. In most cases, such tragic incidents are endangered by the refusal or inability of the victims to pay bribes.

While these extra judicial killings continue unabated, International Human Right Group has labeled Nigeria as a country where human rights are violated with impunity. According to a report published by the legal defense and assistance projects on extra judicial killing, arbitrary and summary executions in Nigeria over 1600 Nigerians were killed by law enforcement agent between 2006 and 2010.

According to the analysis, the impunity rate in 2006 was 83 per cent; in 2007 it was 89 per cent; in 2008 it was 83 per cent; in 2009 it was 88 per cent while in 2010 it rose to 95 per cent. This mean rather than reduce the spate of extra judicial killings in Nigeria have continued to be on the rise.

The recent ban on road blocks across the country by the Inspector General of police, Mohammed Abubarkar appears to have increased the rate of extra judicial killings in the country as research prove that police now round up commercial bus drivers, tricyclists and motorcycle operators at will to extort money from them for real and most times imaginary offences.

But as the nation is waiting for the release of the 2012 report, BabsB BlogSpot examined some of the extrajudicial killing perpetuated by the men of the Nigeria police in 2012 starting with Dele Oroja, the chairman of Three Wheelers’ Association of Nigeria, Meiran/Ilepo axis.

                                                            

• Officers of the Nigeria  Police brutalising a Nigerian IN Lagos... Recently. 

Dele Oroja, left home on the evening of Thursday September 6^th 2012, full of live and aspiration promising his heavily pregnant wife and aged parents that he will be back before dusk to feed his Domestic  animals but he never knew that will be the last time he will set his eye on his family members.

But as if Oroja had the inkling that death was lurking around the corner for him he never go out that faithful day until evening as he stayed back at home to supervise a construction project and also to discuss the wedding plans that is to hold in December with his spouse, but as this was been planned he never knew that all he was planning was only in fantasy as a trigger happy police man was waiting to cut short his life.

According to an eye witness account, the journey of no return started for Oroja who was also the Chairman, the Three Wheelers’ Association of Nigeria, Meiran/Ilepo branch on the penultimate day when one KEKE NAPEP carried a passenger who is a soldier. The police stopped the driver of the KEKE to demand N50 but the soldier told the driver to move on.

The police insisted the KEKE NAPEP driver must give the N50 bribe regardless of the soldier’s intervention. The action of the policeman got the soldier angry and the next moment he slapped him across his face. When the soldier slapped the policeman for resisting his authority, he attempted to retaliate and the soldier got furious again such that he dragged him down.

Just before the soldier slapped the policeman, Oroja who was the chairman of KEKE NAPEP operators in the area, had arrived at the scene and he supported the soldier against the police.  He simply told the soldier that the police were fond of mounting roadblocks at Ile-Iwe to collect money from KEKE NAPEP riders and motorcyclists, thus making life difficult for them.

With these words, the police marked out Oroja for his implicating comments.  Just the next day, Oroja strolled into a waiting trap, as it seemed by coming out that evening. Darkness provided the cover for them to attack Oroja who was shot; and the man died,” said an eyewitness.

However, there were protests from friends and colleagues of the deceased about the death of their love one from the hand of a security agent but all they say is now a story.

But as the bereaved families of Oroja were still living in the shock of the death of their bread winner, news about the death of a commercial bus driver, Monday Jacobs was reported as it was gathered that the driver collapsed after an argument with some law enforcement officials who intercepted him over a yet-to-be-determined issue.

Though the Nigeria police and the Lagos State Traffic Maintenance Agency (LASTMA), has been trading blame over who actually caused the death of the energetic driver.

                            

• Commercial Bus Drivers protesting the death of one of their own killed by the Officers of the Nigeria police in Lagos ... Recently.                             

According to the LASTMA General Manager “It was not LASTMA officials and it has nothing to do with LASTMA at all. The police officers who were involved in the incident have been handed over to the police at Ilupeju police station.

“Those who are saying that LASTMA officials killed the driver are far from the truth. Anyone who cares to know the true side of the story should go to Ilupeju police station, the officers in charge will confirm it. Those officers responsible for the killing of the driver were not operating with LASTMA at all; they were operating on their own.

“The bus conductor has made statement at the station. Based on that, eight of the policemen are already in custody. The bus conductor will identify those involved among the eight.”

He continued, “I have informed Deputy Commissioner of Police. LASTMA was not involved in what happened at all. Those officers were on different operation; it has nothing to do with LASTMA at all.”
Meanwhile, LASTMA spokesman, Richard Omolaja, gave the names of some of the officers simply as Mathew, Luqman and Legba.

But while these blame game is going on colleagues believes Monday Jacobs met his untimely death in the hands of those who are paid by the government to safe guard his life and property and thus called for proper investigation of the case.

One of the colleagues of the deceased who pleaded anonymity said “the police has always been a thorn in the flesh of commercial bus drivers especially since the ban of check point by the police boss, we are arrested for unconvincing offences in other to make us part with our hard earned money.

Now, they have sent this young man to his early grave, who will take care of his family members he left behind, certainly nobody, then his family will be left to suffer,” he concluded.

Also, recently a driver with the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) Mr. jimoh  fasasi, 56 was killed while heading to his Mushin home, he was allegedly brutalised by some policemen from the Surulere Police Station at Barracks Bus Stop, Lagos.

According to Eyewitnesses Fasasi was on his motorcycle when he was arrested at the bus stop by the policemen around 6pm for plying the bridge.

It was learnt that after a while, an argument ensued between the two parties and one of the policemen hit the driver with the butt of his gun.

Also another Eyewitness, who simply gave his name as Olalekan said, “The man was wearing a LASAMBUS uniform and I think he also showed them his identity card too. They still did not let him go. I did not think the altercation was serious when I heard them arguing.

“I was working on my motorcycle when I noticed the man fall to the ground. Those who saw what happened said one of the policemen hit him on the head with the butt of a gun and he fell down.”

Some other eyewitnesses said the policemen wanted the driver to bribe them but the deceased chose to call someone for help, adding that this infuriated the policemen, thus make them brutalise him.

Though visit to LASAMBUS office showed that Fasasi colleague were in sobre mood but an official said, “We were already on our way, because we thought that the fact that he was wearing his uniform should be enough for the policemen to let him go.

“Not long after that, we got a call from someone, who used his (Fasasis’) phone. The caller was shouting that we should hurry, that he fell down after he was hit with a gun and that he was foaming. By the time we got there, he was dead.”

However, a recharge card seller in the area, said immediately the policemen realised what they had done, they fled the scene and took the deceased away.

However, spokesperson of the state police command, Ngozi Braide, has denied the culpability of the men of the Nigeria police force in the death of Fasasi saying the Eyewitness accounts were far from the truth.

She said, “The policemen were there at the end of the bridge inwards the Ikorodu Road, to enforce the state traffic law. In fact, the policemen also impounded about 13 motorcycles at the same spot.
“The police will uphold the law no matter who the person is. That is why they were not deterred when he was calling his colleagues in the office.

“The eyewitnesses we talked to said after he begged and they did not listen to him, he wanted to rest under an umbrella owned by a recharge card seller there.

“They said he started panting and later fell. He then hit his head on the ground. His colleagues later arrived to carry the corpse. The police did not do anything to him,” she concluded assertively.