Unsolved Murder Cases: Can USA Police System Work In Nigeria?

By

Kunle I Sowunmi

Kshoid@yahoo.com

 

Dallas Texas

 

I was astonished and scared to last the liquid of the marrow of my bone to read the list of the unsolved murder cases in Nigeria as published and as listed below in the last 5 years in one of the Nigerian news media. The list could be endless because it does not include those killed by voodoo and armed robbers throughout the 36 states in the corporate entity called Nigeria including the death of Dele Giwa in 1986 and the wife of MKO Abiola in 1996

 

  • Barr. Barnabas Igwe and his wife, Amaka, September 1, 2001;
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  •  Hon. Odunayo Olagbaju, December 19, 2001;
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  •  Chief Bola Ige, December 23, 2001
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  • Isiaka Mohammed, September 24, 2002;
  • Theodore Egwuatu, February, 2003;
  • Rasak Ibrahim, March 20, 2003;
  • Mr. Anthony Nwudo, March 21, 2003;
  • Mr. Ikenna Ibor, March 27, 2003;
  • Emma Onyewuchi, April 19, 2003;
  • Toni Dimegwu, April 29, 2003;
  • Chief Ajibola Olanipekun, June 20, 2003;
  • Andrew Agom, March 3, 2004;
  • Chief Philip Olorunnipa, March 7, 2004;
  • Mr. Sunny Atte, February 5, 2005;
  • Alhaji Alabi Olajokun, May 15, 2005;
  • Patrick Origbu, June 3, 2005;
  • Lateef Olaniyan, July 16, 2005;
  • Anthony Ozioko, July 27, 2005;
  • Jesse Aruku, June 30, 2006;
  • Hajiya Sa'adatu Rimi, January 2006; and
  • Engr. Olufunsho Anthony Williams, July 27, 2006
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  • Dr. Ayo Daramola August 2006

The recent calls by Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State for the government of President Aremu Obasanjo and his Inspector General of Police to resign may not necessarily lead to the permanent solution we all crave for because the Nigeria police system just like every other institutions without any competition or decentralization will always continue to be a failure with a little glimpse of achievement that occasionally will be drummed into the ears of the society which will never be enough to meet with the needs and expectations  of over 150 million citizens.

Nigeria Police force no matter the level intelligent quotient of the IG will never moved beyond the level of mediocre simply for the fact Nigeria is rather too big and sophisticated to be controlled and managed by a single Police force.  A newly appointed police IG is destined to fail due to two major factors. Firstly, if he was appointed as the most senior police officer among his rank he would have been a dead wood before being promoted and his case would even be worse if he had some seniors ahead of him, his appointment will generate hatred among his seniors as well as his peers they will all work against his progress beside it will be difficult for him to change the system. He will be a product of the system given to him to change. Secondly, if the Inspector General was appointed from outside the police system he will be frustrated just like the NEPA frustrated Bola Ige as Minister for Power and Steel 

The disgraced former Police IG Tafa Balogun who was found guilty of stealing over 12 billion Naira meant for the Police force who was merely sentenced to six months imprisonment probably due to pressure from above instead of 25 years was of the opinion that more money should solve the inefficiency of the force.  Tafa I believe is enjoying his freedom somewhere now. Tafa was one of those who stood between decentralization of the police force at the beginning of this administration and the presidency in its wisdom or otherwise accepted the advise of the thief and has not been courageous enough to retreat this step and take a second look at the issue of decentralization of Nigeria Police force.

Is Nigeria Police Force Fashioned after the British in Style?

Nigeria government is making mistake everyday trying to fashion Nigeria Police after British system, which was one of the reasons the First Republic government through the parliamentary system fashioned after the British failed. Britain is a single language country Nigeria is not. Britain is more of a Christian society Nigeria is not.  The Nigeria Government must have admitted the failure of the Police force, which may be one of the reasons the so-called London Police experts were invited to investigate the death of Engr. Funso Williams a Gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State of the ruling party. The British Police found over 7000 fingerprints of Nigerians including eminent members of the society probably that of OBJ himself because the crime scene was not properly managed. Williams’s killers like that Ige and Dele Giwa and many other unsolved cases may never be found and this is unfortunate for the families of these people expecting justice.

Nigeria as a people with over 200 tribes and religions is too complex for the British system to work. It will always fail. The question is this.  Which society technically looks like Nigeria in people and attitude? None of the countries in Asia, Europe, and Far East will qualify to meet this expectation? Most of them are monolinguals with single culture and religion. Only United States of America can meet up with the kind of development that will work with the expectations of the Nigerian society due to the fact that USA is multi-lingual, and accepts freedom of worship, and equal rights to power and freedom which is one of the reasons the 36 states in Nigeria will be very difficult to abrogate as being planned by Enahoro and his constitutional reform group who grew up as an apostle of British system of government in the First Republic. Papa Enahoro and his group must learn to move beyond the sixties and realize failure of the system they are trying to regroup.

Level of Police Administration In America.

This writer is not claiming to be an expert in police administration or management but to redirect the focus of attention of Nigeria government in taking a look at what is working in a society like America, which has similarities to our culture and religion. It was very disgraceful for Nigerian President a self acclaimed born again Christian to be cursing in the public that the killers of the Engr. Williams will never know peace instead of looking into the root track of the failure of the police force will the President go again to Ijan Ekiti to render another curse? Or how many courses will Baba Iyabo render in a year probably enough to write a book or will the curses be another chapter in his book “Power of Prayer”? The courses I believe were more out of frustration than facing the fact or reality on the ground.

In a civilized society like USA once you declare your intention for a political post like governorship or presidency you are protected by the system including the FBI such is not the case in Nigeria. A candidate just moves around as if he or she is invulnerable from attack.  Just like MKO declared himself as winner of the 1993 presidential election at Epetedo Lagos and later to went to bed unprotected at Ikeja before the monster Abacha picked him up. Each declaration for potential office holders must be done with protection from the law

Governor Bola Tinubu and this writer has been a champion of decentralizations of police system in Nigeria since the beginning of this administration the deference of opinion between us is that this writer moved beyond state police unlike the governor to cities and county or local authority police. Each city must have it’s own police force to implement all the local laws passed by each level of government. This will make it easier to properly police the criminals in the society. Each landlord will be expected to get clearance from a central database before any one gets or rents apartment. The above is the cornerstone of USA police success. Our system is not strong enough to help the police to succeed. We are expecting too much from a police system with a very week foundation.

The Federal police as presently constituted may not necessarily implement most of the states laws because they are not committed or responsible to the government of the state they operate, hence most of the laws are just paper laws and members of the House out of frustration joined the Governor in stealing the money meant for the state. The Council members also in the local government for the same reasons above joined the Chairman to steal, the result, is the people who are now denied good government at all levels.

As a Nigerian who lives in Dallas Texas for the past ten years one cannot but marvel at the level of perfection and quality of service the police in the city render. They have all what they need to do a good job. In fact, they do not look like a police you can offer bribe to with the entire gadgets around them talking and communicating with the office. His police car which is expected to be directly positioned at the back of the car stopped is equipped with powerful cameras recording all events directly from the corporate office and capable of picking all the conversations within 50 meter radius this makes it difficult to attempt to collect bribe.

A Texas state police or City police officer earns as much as the law protects $37,000.00 per annum with over $250.000.00 life insurance and such cannot be said of the police in Nigeria. The police in Texas treats you with respect and will ask for your car insurance, drivers license and will run a check on you and your car from the computer in his car and will let you go ones you are found to have complied with the laws but may call for a back up to get you arrested if you have any criminal record unlike Nigeria if a driver is stopped by the police at an so-called check point the passengers themselves will be encouraging the driver to give the police the much desired “N20 Naira “ so that they can go on time. All the IG in Nigeria since independence, has always been fat men why?  In a jocular manner Fela Anikulapo was asked by the press if his brother who was appointed by Babangida administration as Minister of Health had joined the list of those stealing Nigeria money Fela said “ I Know my brother can never steal money but I noticed since he became Minister his Yatch (Bottom) is coming out small small…”  The case of Tafa Balogun revealed the stinking nature of Nigeria Police force.

The government must be able to know the movement of any released criminals, a probation officer must be appointed and must be tutored to go through a class before a released criminal that has served his term be allowed to go back into the society. It means all the citizens of Nigeria must have a social security number to make it easier for the police to do a good job. Nigeria police is operating from a very difficult platform it will take a magic to succeed and it if does it will only be temporary because the foundation is week.

Argument Against State and City Police by those who are against the idea is that it will be used for political purpose but can we look at the way the American system got around this problem? Powers of the police are decentralized some cases are automatically Federal issue and states in some cases. Federal laws can supercede that of the state in the areas of murder and terrorism

Finally, there is nothing bad in copying what is good or what is working in America by decentralizing Nigeria police force but only a fool will continue to use the wrong tool to a problem solve a problem that is not working. We tried British type in the first Republic through the parliamentary system it failed before changing to Presidential System the same should go for the police. Let us completely throw away one of the scraps of the colonial master by decentralizing our police force it may be the best option for us as a nation to finally reap the fruit of democracy.