Tafa Balogun – Our Democracy Owes Us Civil Rights

By

Obadiah Oghoerore Alegbe

Oghoerore@oviri.com.ar

The rough treatment through which the former Inspector General of Police went through is an example of violation of human rights by the Nigerian Police Force. Many of us condemn it.

This Police are the inheritance of Military dictatorship. It is evident today that military rule destroyed Nigeria society both civil and military, it politicized the armed forces, it destroyed the education, it destroyed our health services and worst of all it destroyed the civil service.

Tafa Balogun can now see the inheritance he left behind in the police. Our democracy has to give us above all things civil right for all the inhabitants of Nigeria and of those of us abroad.

Tafa Balogun is very fortunate indeed that we are now out to defend his civil rights contrary to what he did when he had power.

Tafa Balogun’s police raided the house of The President of The Senate of The Federal Republic of Nigeria Chuba Okadigbo without respect for he who was elected in office.

Our democracy must understand that a counsellor in office is more important than a Federal Minister, The Inspector General of Police, Service chief and all other appointed people in executive power because the people are sovereign and their elected have immunity. When an elected officer (called honourable) commits an offence, there is a mechanism in the constitution through due process to remove him. Our democracy should assure us our civil rights for Nigeria to become a civilized nation.

A pregnant woman about to give birth to her child cued up in a bank at Akure last year waiting to collect some money due her for serving a sensors board committed a big error to beg the police security around to allow her pass, Tafa Balogun’s Police felt insulted and killed the pregnant woman on the sport. Her spirit and that ofher child will hunt those murderers.

The destruction of Odi is a vengeance for the confrontation with Tafa Balogun’s Police.

Tafa Balogun is accused of making away with money for the Police while his Police killed bus drivers in Lagos for not giving 20 Naira.

A democratically elected Governor Ngige whom many of us did not sympathize was unlawfully and unconstitutionally humiliated by Tafa Balogun’s Police. A man elected democratically (rigged on not, Ngige is the Governor of his state – the rigging should be a matter for the court). There was no respect for due process.

The Deputy Governor of Delta state was unconstitutionally toed away to appear before Tafa Balogun who made himself the Viking.

A senior citizen of Nigeria Odumegwu Ojukwu who we all know can never hide was humiliated by power drunk Tafa Balogun and his Police.

The Federal Government sent Tafa Balogun abroad to learn about communal Policing, when he came back he did the opposite of what he was supposed to have been trained for. In fact he supposed not to have been part of the trainees; he is supposed to have sent junior officers to prepare Nigeria for the future.

Tafa Balogun who many of us thought would bring sanity to the Police increased the destruction of the Police and he now has tasted a bit of Police brutality.

The resent killing of Igbo traders in Abuja shows that the police really need help to understand their position in the society.

My people, the Police in Nigeria needs a change and we the people must help our Police Force. The Police force was the first victim of the Military rule because their job was taken over by the army. The Police were taught to be obedient to civil authority until the soldiers destroyed the Police. In 1966, the Mobile Police was known to have clashed with the Army in Benin City because the army refused to obey the rule of law while at that time the police were effective in protecting life and property, night life was booming in Benin City but the police was overpowered by the military power and from then till this day the police has not recovered its principal role in the society, worst of all is that the Police today is the reflection of the military rule and regrettably many of the ruler of Nigeria today are military. The military even destroyed traditional institution, I remember the way Sultan of Sokoto were appointed and removed by the President of the day, and many of our traditional rulers are ex-soldiers.

Something must be wrong with our people, if they elect the military again into office. Sapele and Warri people say you no dey deceive ashawo two times, the exception may be Nigeria. I am against the banning of anyone because of his profession but I call on our people to defeat former dictators in the polls next time they run for office.

What do we do?

To recover our civil rights, we must first help the Police.

Let us raise fund to build barracks for the Police, let us register all their children in our schools. Let the children of the police be exempted from paying school fees. Let us give good medical cover up for the Police and his family. Let us assure every Police a good pension.

If a Police serve for twenty years let us build a house for him in his home town or village and thank him for the services done to the nation. Let us bring dignity to the police. The police have no business sitting in the front of the vehicle; in fact he should stand up in the bus for the passengers and let the passengers respect him.

If a Police is dismissed, he should loose all the benefits, nevertheless, a channel must be opened for him to defend himself. If a police die on duty, his wives must be given life pension and his children scholarship to University level. If she be a woman, her children must be given scholarship till University level.

While we give these benefits to the police, we must educate the Police on civil rights, the police must arrest not on the order of The President or anyone else except of the court of law by a Judge.

The current Inspector general of Police should call for help and must be humble enough to accept help and advice from the people. Of all the armed forces, the only friend of the people is the Police and that is how it must be.

There can be no democracy if there is no respect for civil rights. For now, let us ask our Democracy give us our merited and deserved civil rights.

Obadiah Oghoerore Alegbe

Oghoerore@oviri.com.ar