Nigeria: How did we get here?

Early this year, precisely in March, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim had one of the most traumatizing and heart rending encounters when his 69  year-old mother, Madam Omofenwa Jimoh, was kidnapped at gun point in his home in Igbotako, in the oil rich area of Ondo State, but later rescued in Delta State. For two weeks, the […]

Early this year, precisely in March, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim had one of the most traumatizing and heart rending encounters when his 69  year-old mother, Madam Omofenwa Jimoh, was kidnapped at gun point in his home in Igbotako, in the oil rich area of Ondo State, but later rescued in Delta State.

For two weeks, the frontline industrialist did everything practically possible under the sun to secure the release of his mother before mother luck could smile on him.

On March 29, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim published a media account of his ordeals in the hands of the armed hoodlums who forcefully abducted his mother demanding payment of hundreds of millions of naira ransom.

He said it took him some personal risks and adventures to secure the release of his mother whom he said will be relocated to Lagos.

But if some parts of Nigeria are made unsafe, what is the guarantee that the safest places if any, will not degenerate?

About the same time that Jimoh Ibrahim’s mother was abducted, cases of kidnapping became rampant in the South Eastern part of Nigeria especially in the Imo State capital, where several persons even lost their lives to armed hoodlums and suspected kidnappers.

Determined to find some solution to the growing cases of kidnapping, I made several calls to political leaders from the South East and urged them to throw their weight and wealth into finding lasting solution to the growing security challenge confronting millions of our people, especially in the South East.

One of these political leaders I contacted was then a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing one of the three senatorial zones of Imo State, who sponsored a bill to make the recitation of Nigeria’s national anthem mandatory for all at public functions.

Noble as this idea seems to be, I was deeply disturbed that the senate of the Federal Republic could spend huge public resources and time in pursuing passage of legislations with little relevance to us as a nation.

Aware of the thickening cloud of uncertainty and heightened state of insecurity, I told this particular senator to channel his effort towards convincing his colleagues to fashion out workable ways and means to ensure that operatives and officers of the nation’s security community are made to carry out their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property of the citizenry.

But how did we get to this bad/sorry state? How come that Nigeria has become so unstable, so insecure that innocent people get bombed out of existence by armed religious extremists and the police and other security operatives are so weak and incapable of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians which is the primary constitutional duty of any government?

Chinua Achebe, one of the best known novelists, stated that “if we don’t know when the rain started to beat us, we may not know when it stops.”

The reason why the institution of the Nigeria police has failed to stand up to the challenge of restoring law and order in our contemporary times could be located in the domains of politics. How come that what guides the selection process of the members of the hierarchy of the security community especially the police is strictly political and god-father consideration rather than merit and competence? This is at the core of the crisis of competence that is facing the Nigeria police institutionally so much so that a rag-tag armed splinter group like the boko haram successfully gained entry into the nation’s police headquarters and detonated bombs that led to heavy casualties and destruction of several choice cars parked at that vicinity.

To further confirm that political considerations rather than competence is the major determinant factor for who will remain as the nation’s police chief, the President, Commander-in-chief of Nigeria’s Armed forces, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, did not think it was wise to sack the current holder of the office of Inspector General of Police for this show of shame and gross incompetence.

Only few days back, the spokesperson of the State Security Services (SSS) Ms. Marylyn Ogar, told a bewildered nation that over one hundred suspected members of the violent Boko Haram religious sect arrested would not face prosecution for alleged mass murder because the current federal government has decided to adopt what she called “carrots” and “stick” approach in resolving the grave security challenge caused by the  bomb attacks by members of the armed Boko Haram extremist group.

This public statement by the State Security Services’ spokesperson is unconstitutional because it goes to support the growing institutionalization of impunity.

Now, to the question of what constitutes the qualities of a good officer to head the Nigeria police, I think I will borrow extensively from a recent research by Times magazine editorial writer Major Miller, who asked some of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief critics, supporters and stakeholders to weigh in on what qualities are needed in a new police chief.

One respondent said the three qualities necessary for a police chief include recognition that change is a fragile process, secondly, an appreciation of the history and diversity of the constituency; and thirdly, recognition of the relationship between crime and social injustice. Of the three qualities mentioned above, the first which, is recognition that change, is a fragile process, is of particular interest to us in Nigeria.

In offering further explanation, the respondent said that the police department changes when the culture changes and it can fall backward if the new Chief fails to preserve an ethos of respect, not just of the law, but of justice.

In appointing heads of our security agencies, consideration must be given to merit, competence, discipline and commitment to serve the nation and not the godfather as is the case now in Nigeria where most police chiefs are concerned with providing security to the political elite than the members of the law abiding public.

The legislators at the National Assembly should commence the process of organizing constituency meetings to sample public opinion on how to effectively tackle the ever increasing challenge of insecurity that is threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.

Nigeria could also adopt by legislation, the creation of state and community police as a way to provide effective security to the largest percentage of our citizenry.

Emmanuel Onwubiko heads Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, and can be reached on [email protected]