The rising cases of insecurities has been a major challenge in Nigeria as in the last decades the nation Nigeria has been plagued with various cases of insecurities which has led to the death of many, the destruction of properties and the social cum communal unrest in several part of the country.
There has been incessant cases of theft, kidnap has become a major eyesore in many cities as many has taken to anti social activities in the nation which is as a result of the moral decadence in the country and the rising case of unemployment in the nation. The Nigerian Police Force which is the body tasked with the protection of lives and properties in the nation have often been blamed for their inability to combat and curb the rising and incessant cases of insecurities which has plagued the nation.
The Nigerian Police Force in its duty has been plagued by various challenges which has often and repeatedly affect the efficient operations of the institution as many Nigerians has lost faith in the credibility of the body. Most of the challenges surrounding the efficient operations of the body ranges from inadequate manpower to efficient administer, protect and secure the Nigerian populace estimated at around 200,000 000.00. Also the lack of adequate facilities such as firearms and other needed equipments to effectively combat crimes. There are many occasions which have seen the police run away from crime scene or completely avoid going to these crime scenes because they do not have sufficient manpower and firearms as against the one possessed by their adversaries.
This unpalatable eyesore came to the forefront of our national discourse once again when the police station guard during the April 5 2018 Offa, Kwara state armed robbery incident Sergeant Sulaiman Mahmoud on Tuesday revealed that the robbers shot the armory officer of the Offa Police division while he was in his office sleeping.
He revealed this while giving his testimony at the High Court, according to him the armory officer was in his office after he was placed on medication as a result of an illness when the armed robbers enter the police premises and killed him about 4.45pm
Mahoud in his testimony revealed that in the process he lost has AK 47 rifle adding that his gun dropped as he was trying to scale over the police station fence because of the superior weapons and forearms of the armed robbers
“I was at the entrance of the police station when I suddenly heard gunshots from Captain Cook Junction. I ran into the police station shouting to alert others that armed robbers were approaching our station. I ran for cover shooting to scare the robbers away.
According to him, he explained that he’s at the entrance of the Police Premises when they suddenly heard the sounds of gunshots from Captain Cook Junction and from there he ran into the police station to alert his colleagues that armed robbers were coming towards the police.
Explaining further, Mr Mahmoud said that after alerting his colleagues about the impending danger, he was unable to operate his gun as it got hooked with nobody to assist him in unhooking it. And just as he was about to jump over the fence, his gun dropped off him and due to the sensitivity of the situation he’s unable to go back to pick it up as the armed robbers had taken control of the police station. He added that after the shooting he went back to the station only to meet his colleagues crying, while he couldn’t find his riffle again when he went back to the place where it dropped.
During cross-examination by the defense counsel, Mathias Emeribe, Mr Mahmoud stated that Inspector Kayode Oke was killed in his office while sleeping as he was on medication for an illness.
While the matter is still being currently investigated by the law court to determine the validity of the claims of Mr Mahmoud and his account of the narration he gave, there are few important factors which the federal government of Nigeria must take into account and dutifully address.
There’s no doubt as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this piece that the nation Nigeria is beehived with various forms of anti social activities which has jeopardized the security of the nation. In this regards the Nigerian Federal Government do have a lot on it’s hands to do. The constant loss of lives and properties as a result of the activities of armed robbers, bandits and other anti social figures must be checked and curbed at all cost.
This can only be made possible through a proper investment in the Nigerian Police Force, while it is their duty to ensure that they protect adequate security for all in the nation, it’s expected that they are fully trained, equipped and motivated for the job.
There’s no doubt that the Nigerian populace outweighs the numbers of police which the country needs to fully operate, the government must step up in its activities which must be geared towards ensuring that the Nigerian Police Force is adequately given the numbers of personnel which it’s needs to fully and effectively combat criminal activities in the nation. It must also ensure the adequate training of these personnel to be able to attend to the security needs of the nation. Adding to these, there’s a huge need for the government to ensure that it fully equip it’s Police Force making sure it has the necessary firearms and weapons in the discharge of its duty.
While the Nigerian populace look unto its police force for the maintenance of law and order in the nation, the welfare of its police must also be ensured and well tended to. Just as the lives of Nigerian matters, theirs matters greatly and must be treated as such.
By Marcus Amudipe