Who’ll Rein in Killer-policemen

Last week’s mindless killing of a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Bolanle Raheem by a policeman, Drambi Vandi, was a sad reminder of the scourge of police brutality in Africa’s largest democracy. Louis Achi writes that President Muhammadu Buhari’s strict directives to the Police High Command to ensure justice may not make any difference

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Drambi Vandi was last week named by the Lagos State Police Command as the killer cop who fatally shot Mrs. Bolanle Raheem, a Lagos-based lawyer, who was returning from church service with her husband on Christmas day.

Vandi was attached to the Ajiwe Police Division in the Ajah Area of Lagos State. The killing took place at Ajah Under-Bridge Area of the state.  The killing of Mrs. Raheem, who was pregnant with twins as confirmed by her mother, has added to the increasing gory of killings by policemen of citizens they are supposed to protect.

Her killing was not the first by the police in that particular jurisdiction. Earlier in the month, one Gafaru Buraimoh was also shot dead by a yet-to-be-identified officer from the same division.

In a related statement signed by the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, insisted the action of the police officer did not represent the core values of the Nigerian Police Force.

The police boss, according to the statement, had ordered a “speedy investigation and prosecution of the officers responsible for the ugly and unprofessional act, which doesn’t portray the Nigeria Police Standard Operating Procedure and core values.”

Prominent Nigerians who have sent their condolences to the bereaved family include Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, amongst others.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police,  Baba last week ordered the immediate suspension of Vandi to allow for an enabling environment for necessary legal procedures to uphold justice in the case without interference.

A statement by Adejobi read: “The Inspector-General of Police, (IG) Usman Alkali Baba, has recommended the immediate suspension of Assistant Superintendent of Police Drambi Vandi, the officer attached to the Ajah Divisional Headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command, responsible for the shooting and killing of Omobolanle Raheem while waiting for the detailed report on the incident.

“The IG noted that the recommendation for the suspension of the officer is in line with the internal disciplinary processes of the Force. The IG further noted that the suspension is also expected to create an enabling environment for necessary legal procedures to uphold justice in the case without interference. The suspension is without prejudice to the constitutional presumption of innocence in favour of the officer.

“The IG has reaffirmed the commitment of the Force to the Rule of Law and assured the public of his administration’s commitment to ensuring that justice is not just done but seen to have been manifestly done in the matter. He, therefore, appeals to the public to be calm as all hands are on deck to ensure justice prevails.”

Not unexpectedly, the latest killing of an innocent civilian provoked widespread anger and criticism across the country. Many Nigerians have also taken to social media to express outrage over the killing and call for justice for the deceased.

Perhaps, a most significant dimension to the thoughtless killing was President Muhammadu Buhari’s reaction to the incident by ordering  the Nigeria Police Force to take “the strongest possible action” against the suspect. Buhari, in a statement signed by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, also assured the deceased’s family and members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of justice.

According to the president, the incident was “a stark reminder of the recurring menace of the mishandling of weapons” and a wakeup call to law enforcement agencies, including the police, to ensure full implementation of reforms instituted by the regime.

But many are asking – given presidential precedents on this score – would this make any difference?

The House of Representatives, which also condemned the killing, called for a ban on police officers from consuming alcohol and other hard substances capable of inhibiting their sense of reasoning while on duty. This resolution was a sequel to the adoption of a motion of Urgent Public Importance raised by Babajide Obanikoro (APC-Lagos) at plenary last Wednesday.

Mrs. Raheem’s violent death has apparently exhumed old wounds, as Nigerians are already contemplating another EndSARS-like protest with the NBA strongly demanding justice. With the 2023 general election approaching, Nigeria certainly cannot afford to slip into another nationwide demonstration.

However, the embittered citizens cannot again afford to fold their arms as killer policemen go on the rampage.

Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also strongly condemned the killing of the lawyer and counselled the police authorities to ensure that arm-bearing officers are mentally balanced. More importantly, the commission pledged to monitor the process of investigation and prosecution of the errant officer by the police authorities to ensure that justice is adequately served.

A statement by the commission’s Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs and External Linkages, Fatimah Mohammed, noted that the officer’s action falls short of standard operating procedure and professional ethics of the Nigerian Police Force.

The NHRC statement conveyed the commission Executive Secretary, Mr. Tony Ojukwu’s disappointment in the action of the officers despite efforts by the commission to train officers of the Nigerian police on human rights best practices and mainstreaming of human rights in law enforcement operations.

 “There must be a permanent solution to check this form of avoidable killings by the police,” he added.

On her part, the Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, said: “The danger of continued police brutality in Nigeria is an erosion of public confidence in the force responsible for keeping them safe. The police are the most distrusted security agency in Nigeria.”

A senior analyst at Horizon West Africa, an Abuja-based security consultancy firm, Kikelomo Shodeko,  observed recently that, “what we have are officers that are mostly uneducated and are given guns. They should attend training in crisis, risk and emergency management. That training in itself is critical to how the police handle situations and understand their roles.”

A Lagos-based activist who was vocal during the EndSARS protests, Arinu Oduala said the Nigerian government is yet to actualise real police reforms, pointing out that this development has made young people “afraid to step out of their homes, in a bid to not become victims of torture, extortion, harassment and extrajudicial killings”.

The emerging consensus is that unchecked police brutality is an existential danger to citizens and specific actions needed to be urgently initiated to counter the policing aberrations in a modern society. This consensus also insists that the government must be ready to acknowledge the problem, enforce punishments, educate officers and tackle corruption within the police.