Just when we thought that something good will finally happen to the Nigeria Police Force, we are still getting chilling reports about their lack of civility in engaging Nigerian citizens.

There is a recent video making rounds on news websites and all over social media of a certain Treasure Nduka who was arrested, manhandled and sexually harassed by some members of the Nigeria Police. According to Treasure, she was picked up at the protest ground after the Police shot at them. She refused to run because she believed that it was her fundamental right to protest. According to her, she was not doing anything wrong, therefore, there was no need to run for her dear life.

In the interview she granted The Cable http://vismuene.com/5Qsh, she narrated how a bunch of police men and women were hitting her. The height of the inhumane treatment was when an officer undressed her and ordered her to pull off her bra in the full glare of other onlooking officers.

I am yet to understand the rationale behind her arrest in the first place. Even the President has repeatedly said that the Nigerian people have the right to protest. As such, he called on law enforcement agents to be civil in engaging the protesters.

Undressing Treasure Nduka and sexually harassing her is also the height of unprofessionalism on the part of the Nigeria Police. One is forced to ask, what good did they gain from molesting an innocent citizen who is protesting and clamouring for a better Nigeria for all Nigerians including the members of the Police force?

The #ENDSARS protest is simply an indirect way of telling the Nigerian government to enhance the welfare and improve the standard of living of members of the Nigeria Police Force. To think that the same Police force we are demonstrating to better their lives would come against the citizens protesting in their place shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Nigeria Police.

In a similar fashion, just a few days after the IG of police announced the scrapping of SARS, there were reports on social media about SARS officers arresting and dragging people out of their house in Lagos. In Ogun State, some protesters were reportedly killed by a policeman attached to the Governor of Osun State. Why kill innocent citizens who are clamouring for a better life for the police so to say?

No doubt, there are several other reports like these that happen daily across various cities in Nigeria. The culture of brutality, impunity, lack of civility, unprofessionalism, bribery and corruption is an integral part of the Nigeria Police. It is entrenched in their fabric and there is no hope of redeeming the force now or anytime in the future.

The police hierarchy has not demonstrated the resolve and willingness to right the wrongs of some of its men. Until the police is totally reformed, Nigerians will keep groaning under the beastly attitude of some of the men of the force. Replacing SARS with SWAT will not end police brutality because the entirety of the Nigeria Police force is soiled in this malfeasance called police brutality.

#ENDSARS

#ENDSWAT

#REFORMNIGERIAPOLICE