2 hours ago
3
THE recurrent acts of lawlessness by some operatives of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) are disturbing. And more worrying is the fact that the ugly trend seems to underscore the incapability and/or unwillingness of the force to arrest the drift. Hardly does a week pass without the NPF featuring prominently in the news for the wrong reasons, usually on account of the excesses of its personnel in the line of duty. This time around, police personnel from the Anti-Cult Unit, Zone 13, Ukpo, on October 19th, 2024 had reportedly invaded Madu’s Football Academy at Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State. They allegedly brutalised a football icon, Maureen Madu, and team players, including young girls and boys, and thereafter bundled them into a vehicle in handcuffs!
Madu, the proprietor and founder of the football academy, is an ex-Super Falcon’s striker who upon retirement from active football established the school to help the youths in that area to develop their talents in the game. The narrative, going by Madu’s account, is that one Uchenna Onyekwunife, a parent, registered his daughter for summer football coaching in her academy in June this year and abandoned her in the camp for four months without visiting or paying upkeep, only to send an unknown cab man to come pick her up. And as would be expected, she refused to release the girl to the cab man because she did not know him. But an infuriated Uchenna had, through his lawyer, petitioned the police, accusing Madu of serious crimes bordering on armed gangsterism, cultism, attempted murder, child trafficking and threat to life.
It sounds rather ludicrous that a parent who registered his daughter in a football academy on his own, gave custody of the child to the authority and sent little money for modest necessaries could turn around to tell the police that his child had been kidnapped. However, it is the place of the police to inquire into the matter dispassionately and unravel what is amiss. And the only way to achieve that is by listening to the other party, but apparently, the police refused to tread this logical and procedural path that could have led to an untainted intervention and justice.
The incessant abuse of power and patently unprofessional manner in which the police handle cases can only suggest that they have yet to live down their colonial mentality. How about investigating issues thoroughly instead of jumping into conclusions? Is it not the outcome of investigation that should determine what further steps to take to solve a case? It is an abuse of power to have descended on a football academy, dehumanising and brutalising every resident in sight as the police allegedly did. Why not approach Madu or even invite her to their station to get her own side of the story instead of taking the petitioner’s account as the gospel truth? Would any allegedly offended person or complainant ever confess to any wrongdoing while lodging complaints? Should the claims of the supposedly offended be taken hook line sinker and acted upon without any rigorous verification? And how do you verify what the real issues are without hearing from both sides? Why is it so difficult to stick to this simple procedure that is usually deployed to resolves issues, even domestically? Again, did the brutalised players in the academy commit any offence? Or why were they treated like criminals when it was Madu that was being accused of kidnapping the girl in question?
Relying solely on petitioners’ claims to act, especially when they are people of power and means, is very unprofessional and unbefitting of a dispassionate arbiter. The situation is made worse by the insinuation or possibility of an element of corruption in the mix: the allegation is that petitioners often incentivise the police to go after accused persons, and that it is the inducement that usually blurs their vision and causes them to jettison simple and lawful procedure in handling cases. An arbiter that has shown by his conduct that (s)he has taken sides cannot be relied upon by all parties to an issue to deliver justice on the said matter. If the security men could manhandle a sports icon like Madu based on yet-to-be-verified accusations, what is the fate of ordinary Nigerians? Yet the law protects every citizen, whatever their status, from being harassed and brutalised by anyone.
It is comforting that the Anambra State police command has agreed to investigate the incident even as the Commissioner of Police (CP) sounded conciliatory. We urge the police to carry out a thorough investigation that will lead to the apprehension of the culprits and their eventual punishment if found culpable. It should be noted, also, that regardless of the conciliatory tone of the CP, damages must be paid. How sad that Madu and the players apprehended at the academy had to sleep in the police cell over a matter that was yet to be inquired into! Such humiliation and act of lawlessness should not go unpunished. Yes, the father of the girl at issue may have been incensed about his daughter not being released to the cab man on his alleged instructions, but Madu took the right decision in the circumstance by refusing to release the girl to someone she did not know. If she had carelessly released the girl and it turned out that the taxi man was unknown to the parent of the girl, then she would have been guilty of not exercising sufficient duty of care, which is not just a moral obligation but a legal obligation.
The police have a duty to apprehend criminals but they should be careful about invading places and beating up everyone in sight. It is clearly unlawful to do so. Yet, the security agencies have become dangerously used to harassing and apprehending suspects before any thorough inquiry. The other time, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invaded Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) hostels, arrested about 69 students and released their names to the public as Yahoo Yahoo (fraud) suspects, only to later release most of them in Ibadan, Oyo State, after investigations confirmed their innocence. Security agencies should be careful how they operate.
Impunity is the fulcrum around which police disdain for the principle of fair hearing revolves. Policemen often tend to act recklessly because they know it will be difficult for the victims to get justice in the long run. If the operatives who are fond of harassing, brutalising and apprehending accused persons without ascertaining the veracity of petitioners’ claims against them are promptly sanctioned, they and their ilk will think twice before treading the path of unprofessionalism. Even in traditional African settings, an elder is adjudged wicked and unworthy of the flowers that his/her age and supposed wisdom naturally attract if (s) he has a reputation for judging matters on the basis of the narrative of just one party to a dispute. The brutalisation of Madu and her students/players was awfully wrong and could be construed within the context of a breach of both moral and legal codes which the police would need to address thoroughly and decisively with a view to forestalling a similar occurrence going forward.
READ ALSO: Anambra: Police begin probe into assault on ex-Super Falcons star, Maureen Madu
