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The nation woke up on Tuesday morning to the news that a police officerย shot Ahmed Dayo, an (National Diploma) ND 1 Accounting student of theย Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.
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The student reportedly onย his way to the campus to collect his identity card, sustained seriousย injuries after a trigger-happy policeman officer attached to a bullionย van misfired in an attempt to shoot the tyre of the taxi Dayo wasย travelling in.
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Of course he must haveย thought that the car contained men of the underworld who had their eyesย on the mints in transit; he was obviously guarding the Naira notes withย his job on one hand and his life on the other.
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Expectedly, the incidentย shut down activities within the state capital as the victimโs colleagues took to the streets to express their anger. By then, the culprit andย the driver of the bullion van had sought refuge at a nearby bank whichย was lucky not to have been razed.
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It is stupid, unfortunate, sickening, demoralizing and questionable that in 2013 A.D., some police officers lack a simple attribute as decorum. In case they haveย forgotten, some grave blunders they committed in the past earned usย international tongue-lashing, with the attendant shame on our collective image as a people.
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Already, the madness ofย one man, who probably is a school drop-out, has left Dayo with a brokenย bone on his left leg and a crushed tibia which has affected the flatย surface of his right foot. Except a miracle and/or urgent medicalย surgery, one of the affected legs may be amputated.
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Kwara state Commissionerย of Police, Agboola Glover-Oshodi, says the suspect has been arrested,ย while his inferior, the command spokesperson, DSP Fabode Olufemi, hoursย later said he was yet to receive any report on the incident; a statement which confirms prelude to the usual cover ups.
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Even though the Nigeriaย Police often finds itself in such mess, it has never consciously grabbed the bull by the horn. We have said it a million times that any memberย of its rank and file that uses live bullets on tax payers, especially in unprovoked instances be dismissed after thorough probe. But what do weย get: the lunatics get a slap on the wrist and then find their way intoย the service, thanks to the Baba Isales who are always willing toย intercede on their behalf.
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We all have our stories.ย Years ago while in the university, some meters away from the Babcockย University junction on the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode expressway, a policemanย flagged our vehicle down. The driver obeyed. The man-in-black then asked to be โrogeredโ, maximum is N50. The driver retorted that he had noย change, but would โdo normalโ on his return trip. The officer would have none of that insisting he drops โsomethingโ or be ready to burn hisย time and fuel. It is apposite to recall that his action not onlyย disrespected the passengers but other road users queued up behind. Heย also acted as if he was blind to the weather condition; at that pointย the sky was fast gathering thick dark clouds. After five to six minutesย of arguments, the officer pointing towards left, shouted at our driverย to โpark, park thereโ. The furious man sensing that a larger extortionย was about to take place drove ahead.
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Only seconds later, weย heard a big bang and accelerating on a bursted tyre, we skid off theย road. The driver really struggled, but safely scrambled us to a point.ย We had been shot at. Once the bus stopped, every one rushed out. Whileย some went straight to prayers, the rest of us โ mainly young men โย charged towards the checkpoint in protest. As we headed back, theย would-be killer and his crew dashed into their black unmarked Ford truck and sped off. Driving against traffic, they escaped via the roadย leading to Ilishan town just in front of the private university.
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There are countlessย stories of same incident which do not get reported in the media. Onlyย heaven can correctly provide the number of deaths and permanentย disability that people paid to protect the citizens have caused.
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I used to think that theย Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, made it compulsory forย banks to convey cash in armored vehicles. Is that order non-existent?ย Are Police commanders making more money by endangering the lives ofย junior officers? Is there a case of disloyalty going on?
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The IGP should withoutย delay try some senior officers for insubordination as it appears thatย some of his directives fall on deaf ears. There is still a deficit ofย discipline under his leadership and a weak oversight will only do moreย damage.
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What amazes me is that our officers shine superbly outside the shores of the country, while theyย continue to mess up back home. As it stands, the good health and futureย of an innocent youth is in jeopardy owing to misjudgment of a simpleย situation, not warfront! The unprofessionalism of the jitteryย gun-handler has brought shame to himself, his family and the institution he works for.
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Taking another look at the scenario and assuming that he needed to use his weapon, was he too dumb to shoot with precision? Against the backdrop of this latest incident,ย is the call by Nigerians that regular re-training be carried out notย justified?
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To Mr. IGP, is this one of the kind of men you deploy to face the ruthless Boko Haram? Letโs stop deceiving ourselves abeg.
