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Here, a mere argument between people of these two ethnic divides, no matter how friendly it is presented oftentimes degenerate into volatile stage. Discerning readers should now visualize how much more a very fierce encounter that is playing out in this narration. Chibudom’s offence as at that point was unknown to no one except Adamu himself. He simply insisted that the young chap must follow him to the police station as he was placing him under arrest. The boy who did not know who his attacker is and for what offence he is being arrested stoically resisted. But because they were no mates in terms of pure strength, Adamu overpowered the young man with the hapless onlookers watching every bit of the action but making no sense out of it, and as well made no effort to intervene.

Why would they? They may have thought it was pointless to do so on the premise that Chibudom was a criminal who has committed a crime and must be brought to justice. Even then, the initial people who came close, Adamu either got them punched or shoved aside with his raw Physical strength until everyone around got scared.

Succour however came the way of Chibudom, because not wanting to allow him die a cheap death when it has not be proven guilty in a competent court of law and let justice take its full course, yours truly, and in fact with support of two of his colleagues, Kolade and Desmond tried to rescue the chap who was gradually dying under the firm and vice-like grip of his aggressor as his eyes were dimming. In fact, only his white pupil covered his entire eyes and he seemed to have beckoned on me to save his worthless soul which was what galvanized me. That was how this Rambo strength took over me and with the assistance from my two colleagues stopped Adamu from committing blue murder.

Suffice it that what even weakened the aggressor was when I summoned more courage to ask him to identify himself before he could be allowed to whisk the hapless boy away to the police station realizing that he was in mufti and could be a dangerous character himself.

That was when he got frenetic at first and we succeeded in loosening his killer grip on Chibudom’s frail neck.

Surprisingly, Adamu simply muttered that he was a police officer.

And the way he said it even looked suspicious. But when he was asked to show proof by producing his ID card, all he did was wave a key-holder in police colours, nothing more, nothing less. He had nothing concrete on him to identify himself with and yet he swore he must arrest Chibudom. However, when forced to reveal what the offence of his ‘suspect’ was, he simply said that he stood behind him to read papers. Whao! Since when has this become an ‘arrestable’ offence in the Nigerian constitution? This was the question on most lips at this point. Even then, Adamu would not see reasons to allow peace reign. Not even several appeals from me and my colleagues that the period in question was too dangerously volatile to allow this rowdy and combative session. This insistence led him to go after Chibudom’s jugular who was at this point asked to flee. When the ‘suspect’ ran into a building housing some shops, Adamu attempted to follow even when the door was shot at him. The shop-owners dared him to enter. It was at this point, a dangerous mob including petroleum black market racketeers and Yandabas (area boys) most of whom had sympathy for Adamu began to mill around and spoiling for war.

When apparently feeling that they have been pushed to the wall, some Ibo traders who equally have sentimental attachment for the oppressed young circled almost immediately. While some of us prevailed on those attempting to descend on him, others still tried to assuage and sweet-talk the cop to see reasons to no avail. It was not until he heard me threatened to call the attention of the State Commissioner of Police and actually held my colleague explaining to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Baba Mohammed to do something urgently before the situation boils over, that he actually mellowed. Kudos must be given to the PPRO as he deftly got across to the appropriate quarters and notified us of his action. Before he finished talking to us, uniformed and plain-clothe policemen condoned off the area and arrested some people for questioning including myself and Kolade who the police now turned around to accuse of fueling the commotion obviously believing only Adamu’s version. Remember, he is their colleague and compatriot that must be sided. But thank God for our profession, we were eventually left off the hook. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) whose station we were taken was also civil and pragmatic about the situation when he discovered who his ‘guest’ were.

And this is the crux of the matter. Because, not every peace-loving, patriotic and concerned Nigerian could be as lucky and as privileged as us, journalists. It is actually the reason why some of those willing to contribute their assistance either in accident or armed robbery situations or in the position to volunteer the police with information and ideas on how to avoid future ugly incidences as narrated above disappears into thin air on sighting the police. In fact, one of my colleague was nowhere in sight when the cops arrived the scene. He just simply varnished for the reason I just advanced above. They also prevailed on me frantically though, to ‘run away’ but I would not take that. I mustered up enough courage, even when the Officer-in-Charge (OC) in charge of our arrest was putting us on the defensive that we mobilized for his colleague to be beaten up. That was what he accused us of even before we got to the police, ignorant of who we are or thinking he could demystify us. At the end of it all, I regretted not taking the varnishing option because by the time we got off the hook, we had paid dearly for it by missing a vital appointment we had rescheduled over four times with a Lagos-based personality who was traveling enroute Kano. It was poised to happen for real until the police delay cost us the benefit. He had wanted us to meet briefly that fateful day and at the time we were under ‘arrest’. However, in my estimation, it was still a small price to pay to salvage an impending ethno-religious calamity that could have claimed so many lives and property. Surprisingly too, when we were asked to go, Adamu complained openly and bitterly too to his superiors that he felt cheated for our release without any string attached. To him, it was not fathomable that someone under their firm grip could leave without any condition, monetary or otherwise. He complained aloud that we instigated people to beat him and tear his gown. He even boasted he would not allow the matter to go like that as he would re-visit it at the appropriate time. This he said to the hearing of his superior officers. But he did not disclose how he would go about it. To me, I simply felt he was audacious, bold and stupidly stubborn. And this is the quintessential Nigerian policeman relating with the community he is paid through tax-payers money to protect. In our nation, the average policeman, especially the rank and files want to oppress, to dominate and to cheat the hapless citizen and visitors to the country alike. A police who does not know how to feel the pulse of the community he serves and the nation; and in Adamu’s case, so docile he does not even know how to communicate well in Queens English. Even worse, he does not bother a hoot whether his action could plunge a peaceful community or nation into avoidable mayhem. So long as he achieves his self gains. Again, a story was recently reported of how the police in Lagos detained a three years old boy for involvement in the attempt to rape a female adult.

Three years old! Even when it was discovered that he was innocent of the crime, police authority insisted that about N5, 000 must be paid to secure his bail.

The boy’s poor mother battled endlessly to raise the money to secure her son’s release, but his captors were bent on their demand being met to secure his freedom. Then, she had no option than to cry out.

Many worse cases occur every day. The system is that rotten. Even if he is released without paying the bail charges, but because of the indecent institution called the Nigeria Police, it will be on record that an innocent and impressionable ‘toddler’ has been cheated and made to go through the harsh detention process in the nation’s police system. This is where several attempts by CLEEN Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) committed to law enforcement education in the country must be commended.

So far, CLEEN Foundation has as part of its project activities in conjunction with the Kano State Police Command successfully held training sessions in communication skills and conflict management for the police officers and the rank and files of the police force. Metropolitan Area and Dambatta Area Commands served as the pilot projects. The programme was aimed at training police officers with special targets on the rank and files in the force with a view to educating them on issues that result in conflict and the modus operandi of addressing them as well as even stemming them in all its ramifications. The lower cadre of the police was chosen for the training as they are the ones regularly in contact with the general public.

The Lagos-based NGO has as its own contribution towards the process of reforming the Nigerian Police Force introduced an internal accountability project.

It is a 3-year programme aimed at enhancing police accountability in Nigeria with primary focus on building the institutional capacity for police accountability. The project itself is a follow up to an earlier effort on enhancing police community partnership and accountability in Nigeria meant to strengthen existing police internal processes and mechanisms implemented by CLEEN Foundation with support from MacArthurs Foundation. The pilot project were carried out in Lagos, Rivers, Imo, Benue, Borno and Kano states between 2002-2004. Officials revealed that the challenges and shortcomings experienced at the evaluation of the first phase of the project encouraged the follow up project in the three states namely, Lagos, Kano and Rivers. The programme recorded a great deal of success in these states than the others.

The project itself entails fostering a direct working relationship with the Police Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) which is one of the internal disciplinary mechanisms within the police force attached to the office of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO).

The follow up project has as its main objectives, the creation and increase public awareness of the existence of the Police Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) through radio jingles, posters and fliers, as well as to render other technical support that may be required to create sustained public consciousness about the PCBs.

Equally, the idea is to deepen public confidence in the activities of the PCB through regular interactive fora with stakeholders in policing on the activities of the PCB. The target audiences here are members of the public particularly, those specific groups that are mostly affected by police acts of misconduct and the police. In addition, it is the beginning of a process of streamlining and integrating the various internal accountability mechanisms and procedures in the Nigeria Folice Force to a manageable framework that could be easily used by aggrieved citizens seeking to redress police abuse of human rights as well as using data emanating from such mechanism in tracking police officers who are subjects of unusually high numbers of citizens’ complaints.

And to take Kano state as a case study, so far three quarterly interactive fora have been organized. The stakeholders well represented at the functions include, the police, commercial motorcyclists (popularly called Yan Achabas) in the ancient pyramid city, road transport workers, students union, women groups, labour and other trade unions as well as various civil society groups amongst others.

As stated above, different Area Commands of the police in Kano have hosted an interactive forum at one point or the other. The reason for this rotation of the hosting is to effectively reach the grassroots and address issues peculiar to the communities with the Area Commands. It is also meant to provide an avenue for the police through the PPRO or his representative to receive complaints from members of the public to be addressed on the spot by the PPRO or his representatives. The Metropolitan Area Command, Naibawa motor park located in Kano metropolis and Dambatta motor park in Dambatta Area Command of the police force are places where interactive sessions were held. Participants, bubbling with zeal and enthusiasm were impressive as they came, and made constructive contributions and suggestions on how police accountability could be better enhanced.

Some of their suggestions are that complaint boxes should be provided by the police at different strategic locations for easy accessibility by the public. Secondly, they requested a collective effort by members of the public and the police to devise proactive ways of finding resolutions to issues, complaints and that mass public enlightenment campaign should be fostered to educate members of the public on activities of the police.

Besides, training in communication skills and conflict management were organized for the police officers in the two commands. It was aimed particularly at the rank and files who are in constant contact with the public on issues that result in conflict and how to address and prevent such conflict situations. The gratifying aspect of the evaluation process after the first project year is that members of the public have expressed a change of heart, especially in the attitude and conduct of the police towards the public while carrying out their daily routine.

Happily too, is that in the nearest future, CLEEN Foundation in collaboration with Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) has a pilot project in the pipeline to test a number of criteria for assessing police commands. It is expected that the police would appraise the performance of one division of a police command selected at random in each of the 12 State Commands. Each one of the divisions will be assessed in ten key areas like; record keeping, community policing, use of resources, providing assistance to the public, promoting sense of safety and security among members of the public would be looked into. Others are investigating crimes and prosecuting criminals, protecting vulnerable groups, promoting human rights, receiving and treating public complaints and morale of officers and men.

It is a general opinion and belief that when the laudable objectives of CLEEN Foundation and its collaborators goes full circle, the officers and men of the police would not only be strengthened and better educated and accountable; and also hopefully more equipped with sophisticated gadgets, it would be completely born-again in its efforts to provide adequate and responsive policing of society. And only then would policemen and women like Adamu realise that their constitutional mandate is to protect the vulnerable in the society and not to join evil forces to oppress them. Otherwise, the police high command would have no other option left for them than to ship them out of the system instead of striving to retain the status-quo. END SALIHU OTHMAN ISAH, a journalist based in Kano is a public commentator on police affairs. He can be reached on email address: wandaction2003@yahoo.com or GSM: 0803 7038566.