Why are policemen ignoring Inspector-General’s orders?

While there are many upright and honest policemen, the bad eggs continue to give a bad name to the police service. A terrible example is a Federal Highway Patrol squad which usually parks a black van on the Kaduna/Abuja highway, at about Kilometre 69 to 70 from Kaduna or so, consisting mainly of cops rather […]

While there are many upright and honest policemen, the bad eggs continue to give a bad name to the police service. A terrible example is a Federal Highway Patrol squad which usually parks a black van on the Kaduna/Abuja highway, at about Kilometre 69 to 70 from Kaduna or so, consisting mainly of cops rather advanced in age. They usually start operating in the morning and go as far as putting obstacles on the highway so motorists would have to stop.
Now, stopping isn’t the problem. They proceed to ask for vehicle licences, vehicle papers and all that. A minor offence like an expired license would make them threaten to drag one to the V.I.O office (in Kaduna?) and eventually an open demand for money, sometimes as high as N5,000 (five thousand) naira is made. This particular group is notorious on the Abuja-Kaduna road and they used to set-up their road blocks on the new Jere-Abuja road, exposing their uniforms and profession to disgrace and ridicule. The officer in charge of these misguided policemen should also be questioned.
To quote the new Inspector-General: “I wish to re-emphasise that police road-blocks remain banned.” Cant the Nigerian police understand simple instructions from high, repectable authority? It baffles one. The IGP should please see to it that these men who seek to soil the image of the service are cautioned or even sanctioned before it is too late.
 Mohammed, a schoolteacher, wrote in from Kaduna, Kaduna State.