today makes me
reminisce on the experiences I have had in the hands
of the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force. Even
before my narration, I would say that just like in our
contemporary Nigerian society, there are a few good
police men.
In 1991, I was a very zealous and adrenaline pumping
secondary school kid with so much zest for
academics and adventurous exploits. I did a whole
lot of legal things to gather a few kobo for myself. I
had spent about three months of that year gathering
=N=200.00 so I could take a trip to the nearest town –
Idah to be precise, and open a bank account for
myself. I wanted to use the opportunity to also post
some letters. That was the most useful means of
communication then.
I climbed onto my Mum’s motorcycle and off I went
with my pocket heavy with the pride that comes with
providing a means of meeting my needs myself. I
decided to get the stamps and post my letters before
finishing up at the bank. I wish the reverse was the
case. While heading to the bank, I took a turn at a
small junction in a town with little or no vehicular
traffic only for a traffic warden to flag me down for
taking a wrong turn.
I pleaded with the man for close to 20 minutes
without result. As far as he was concerned, I did not
know the gravity of my offence. He took me on my
motorcycle and off we headed to the police station. I
was having =N=160.00 I my pocket then and the
traffic warden kept threatening me as we got closer
to the station. As you will suspect, my fright kept
increasing in leaps and bounds as we got closer. To
worsen my already bad situation, I did not tell my
parents that I was embarking on a trip to Idah. He
then asked me how much I had on me as we got to
the station gate.
This traffic warden collected my =N=160.00 in totality
and gave me my bike after admonishing me to thank
my God. I just took a look at the name tag on his
chest and the name just stuck in my memories. That
day, I developed a strong hate feeling for the police. I
have never forgotten the name and I still look
forward to meeting that traffic warden who robbed
me of all my savings even as a young boy of 13. I
wondered how a fellow human being can be so
callous to another.
Yes, I have met one or two policemen who clearly
belong to a different class and would qualify as
gentlemen on any day. The majority however use
every available and even unavailable reason under
the sun to exploit, extort and ridicule those of us they
are paid to protect. Every organization’s foundation
for success is built on its culture and any reform in
the Nigeria Police Force would start from a change in
the value system and culture within the workforce. It
is not about increasing their take home pay after all
we have public officers who earn million and steal in
billions.
Is the police my friend? I am yet to see any evidence
to justify that cliché. I definitely do not think so

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