DEATH FOR THE KILLER-COP  

The conviction of Drambi Vandi holds lessons for others

The conviction of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, for the killing of a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs Omobolanle Raheem is a welcome relief. According to Justice Iboronke Harrison, the shooting of Raheem (pregnant at the time) was not an accidental discharge which could have mitigated the sentence. It was premeditated murder. Although the pain will never go away for the deceased family, we hope that sufficient lessons will be learnt from this tragedy so that we do not continue to waste innocent lives.    

In his statement shortly after the tragedy last December, President Muhammadu Buhari described it as a stark reminder of the recurring menace of the mishandling of weapons and a wake-up call to law enforcement agencies. He also called for operational reforms not only about weapons handling, but also on the need for the police to understand their role as basically to protect the rights of citizens. It’s a timely admonition. What the police and other law enforcement institutions must deal with is the impression that those who carry arms on behalf of the state are licensed to act above the law. Across the country, several citizens are molested and brutalised by the police, soldiers and sundry security personnel who carry on their duties with impunity.  

Over the years, several reasons have been adduced to explain the trigger-happy disposition of these men and women in uniform who have scant regards for the rights of the citizens. Such reasons include their conditions of service especially the meagre remunerations, the poor living condition in their barracks and low self-esteem. Yet, nothing can justify the whimsical resort to lawlessness by officers whose primary responsibility is to uphold the law. As we have argued repeatedly on this page, no matter the extent of provocation, a person in uniform must not resort to taking the law into their own hands. But we must also recognise that most personnel of the police are good professionals who are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.  

The challenges hampering the police from effectively discharging their constitutional responsibility to the public will continue to inhibit it until they are addressed. Key of all the considerations is the proper vetting of prospective recruits, including their psychological state of mind to prevent the enlistment of criminals. Besides, the over centralised structure of the police is one of the reasons why policing is ineffective. There is an urgent need to review this structural weakness. But over and above all is the issue of welfare. This requires adequate funding as well as improving the living conditions of their personnel.   

However, it is the nonchalant attitude towards investigating and punishing deviants that has allowed a culture of impunity to persist. The Inspector General of Police therefore has the primary responsibility of re-educating his men especially around respect for people’s rights and the sanctity of human life. The same goes for the heads of the other military and security institutions that bear arms. First, there is a basic issue of protection of lives by law enforcement agencies. Tragically, this vital requirement of any civilised democracy is lacking in our country today. Second, these violations hardly attract serious consequences for their perpetrators.  

To the extent that crime is inherent in every society, what deters perpetrators is the certainty of consequences and penalties. And since there appears to be no serious measures to bring these deviants to justice, it is little wonder that others are joining them. It is therefore our hope that the conviction of Vandi for the murder of Raheem will send a message to other trigger-happy policemen their job is to protect citizens. Not kill them.