Who do we fear more? ( Oga Police or Soldier Man)
Written by Omo Igbo (Igbo Boy born in Lagos)
As a big Fela listener, I and many more Nigerians found inspiration and happiness in his music. Something else I have found is that the same leaders in his songs who he said were ruining Nigeria are still leading Nigeria and the same challenges the Nation faced still exist. Obasanjo with his big belly came back to lead for another 8 years and Buhari the animal in human skin is currently leading.
Fela had songs like Unknown Soldier and Sorrows, Tears and Blood which revealed other set of issues very important to the everyday living of Nigerians, very different from corruption, nepotism and neo colonization that still exists today. These issues are brutality, abuse of power and war crimes being committed by both the Nigerian Army (soldier man) and Police.
Police brutality and war crimes are global issues, just last month two black men were murdered in cold blood by the police in the United States. The killing of young black men and women by Policemen remains an ongoing social problem in the United States. It is well known that police brutality in the United States is systematic with the Blacks suffering a higher ratio of this brutality. In Nigeria it is also systematic, with the lower class suffering almost all the brutality. You can conclude that it sucks to be poor and Black anywhere in the world or in the United States and Nigeria.
However this needs to be addressed in Nigeria because this issue has been ignored for decades, mostly by the elites and rich because it does not affect their daily lives and the average Nigerian is afraid to speak against this men. For instance a soldier man can stop you at Ojuelegba bus stop or any bus stop in Nigeria for wearing clothes with camouflage style or a General can decide to drive on the lane specially reserved for public transport without any repercussions, I still ask why Murtala Mohammed’s picture is on the Twenty Naira note and not that of a Nigerian Policeman.” Policemen are known for taking bribes on the road from fellow hardworking citizens, back then Twenty Naira but with the current rate of inflation I doubt they will settle for low, In recent times, there are cases where they take law abiding citizens or criminals to the ATM to make withdrawals. If you refuse to give them money and get into an argument, they can shoot and kill you claiming you were an armed robber. There is a popular saying that originated from African China’s song, which says a poor man who steals Maggi cubes or oranges would be convicted and mistreated but the rich man who steals with his pen his adored and has policemen as guards. The Nigerian Police do not rely on other proactive measures to stop crime except stop and search. They can stop you if you are walking on the streets, on a public transport, in a cheap vehicle but never in a Mercedes or Range Rover that is well maintained. In Mr Raw’s song called “Obodo” he described police harassment he faced on his way home from the supermarket. He was stopped and searched, beaten because he misyarned[UM1] . He was stripped of his shoes, shirts and trousers. This is the life Nigerians suffer under those tasked to protect and save lives.
On the issues of soldiers in Nigeria, this men have a mentality of it is us against them. Them being the “bloody civilians”, they believe their training has made them superhuman or demi gods for the Nigerian people. That might explain the coups we have had in that country or how since the return of democracy seventeen years ago, ten of it has been under the charge of ex-military leaders. We rely on this men to ensure peaceful electoral activities and internal security which is not their job responsibility. Hence their swollen heads. Timaya’s song “Dem Mama” describes war crimes by the Nigerian Army in Odi, Bayelsa. Fathers were killed, sisters and mothers raped and houses burnt.
In recent times: A brief summary of police brutality and war crimes that is taking place under the watch of Buhari across all six geo-political zones.
North East: Ongoing rape and enhanced interrogation techniques by the Nigerian Military due to the ongoing war against Boko Haram. To be fair to the president, this was going on before he was elected.
North West: The Nigerian Army killed over 100 members of the Shite sect because they blocked the road the chief of army staff was travelling on or because they were stoned.
South South: Residents of Gbamaratu, Delta has seen the Nigerian Army destroy their community in search of members of the Niger Delta Avengers. Women raped, houses destroyed and young men arrested. Arrested by soldier men not the police. In other news the Army flogged women from Delta state who were protesting.
South East: Hundreds killed for peacefully protesting and demanding referendum for the creation of the Biafra state this year. The president was offered to be shown the video after denying he had not seen it. He declined to see the video on an Al Jazeera interview. No investigation launched till date.
South West: Drunk policeman kill twin brothers and himself. Innocent men remain in police stations and jails without court trials.
North Central: We are still waiting for the President to send in the Army to control the Fulani Herdsmen wreaking havoc.
Enough is Enough, We the public need to challenge these men and women who are tasked to save our lives and not take them. Our tax and oil money pay their salaries, they need to respect us and in turn we respect them. We need to report officers who receive bribes or rapist hiding under the uniform of the Nigerian army. For these men and women to be reported, they need to be easily identified. Which mean they would have to wear tags, their uniforms and not black plain shirts. The government needs to ensure this men are properly paid to avoid the temptation of collecting bribes and the selection process should ensure mental fitness for the job. The police institution is critical to fighting corruption in Nigeria and the EFCC is not effective enough. Buhari’s Dream of a law abiding Nigeria can only be achieved with a clean and effective police force. We need to ensure Buhari’s administration does something about this.
[UM1]to talk rubbish, trash or wrong thing
