Stanley Ibe is part of the Open Society Justice Initiative’s legal team in Africa. I asked him to discuss Criminal Force: Torture, Abuse, and Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigeria Police Force, a recent report produced by the Justice Initiative and the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria.
What does this report reveal?
We have found some shocking levels of violence and abuse. People are dying at the hands of police officers. Torture routinely takes the place of proper investigation, and rape seems to be commonplace when the police arrest vulnerable women. Overall, the police in Nigeria are more likely to commit crimes that to prevent them.
That seems pretty extreme. How do you know that these findings aren’t just about a few bad apples?
This report is based on field monitoring conducted by NOPRIN—the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria—at over 400 police stations in fourteen states and territories across the country. It was a major effort. Research investigations were undertaken from February 2007 to January 2009, so the report is also based on observations over quite a long time, and we see consistent patterns. Beyond the fieldwork, the report draws on relevant legislation, case law, and official reports of high-level government commissions and investigations into policing in Nigeria. It also references newspaper articles and NGO reports. And what we see is widespread, systemic failure.
Why have things gotten so bad?
Well, for one thing, police in many cases lack the training and resources to do their job properly. There is no forensic capacity—not even one lab in Nigeria has working equipment to analyze fingerprints—so it is very difficult to do a proper investigation. This is not an excuse for torture—there is no excuse for that—but some of the police do seem to feel the pressure and will torture to extract a confession so that they can close a case. What we see is that sometimes, a person will go to the station to report a crime, and instead the police will suddenly turn them into a suspect.
What can be done?
President Jonathan and the rest of the government need to take reform seriously if they are going to improve safety and restore confidence in the police. We’ve set out several more detailed recommendations in the report, but among the most critical changes is the need to ensure that the Nigeria Police Force is free from presidential and political interference. Only an independent police force can foster professionalism. It is also essential to ensure that the police do not monopolize or interfere with investigations of crime and misconduct by their officers. Currently, many cases of police misconduct are overlooked because of political interference, or the expectation of it.
These measures need to be complemented by more robust external oversight. The Police Service Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the federal attorney general’s office, the courts, and other state and federal officials have to take shared responsibility for making the police more accountable and more effective. For example, we call for establishment of a federal prosecutorial unit to take on cases of police corruption and violence. We need to ensure that complaints are followed up and abuse is punished in order to change this culture of impunity.
Donor countries can also step up by responding to some of the material and infrastructure needs of the police, so they have the basic capacity to conduct proper investigations. But this will not have any effect if assistance is liable to be plundered or misappropriated. The police need a new culture of more transparent and accountable institutional management. So that aid is not wasted and we see real improvement, donor countries ought to insist on, and help develop, management and accountability mechanisms like the ones suggested in Criminal Force.
Posted in: Africa, Rights & Justice
Topics: accountability, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, Nigeria, police, police abuse
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Police atrocities in Nigeria leave a sour taste in the mouth. The level of violation of human rights by Nigeria police is clearlya matter of health and safety. Matters are compounded by weak accountability avenues and even weaker external oversight bodies. It seems to em that a reform initiated by the highest political personea is needed urgently. The challenges as sttaed by Mr. Ibe are correct and i think CSOs need to raise the matter further.
Thanks, Saka - appreciate your feedback. We hope more groups will push President Jonathan to make police reform a priority, given these disturbing findings.
Yes, indeed Saka!
Stanley has excellently highlighted the basic problems of the Nigeria Police: "And what we see is widespread, systemic failure""...culture of impunity" There are no better ways of descrbing the grave shortcomings of the Nigeria Police Force. He also admirably underscored why previous efforts at reforming the Police had failed- political inteference, dire lack of trainig and infrastructure and absence of transparency and accountability which makes assistance "liable to be plundered or misappropriated". Beyond and above what Stanley learnt from the research, he exhibited knowledge that definitely comes with a long standing first hand experience in dealing with an institution such as the Police. I quite appreciate this considerable effort at making our country a far better place than what it is today.
Thanks for your kind words Nduka. Hopefully, groups like yours will join the growing movement for reforms in the police...we all have roles to play!!!
IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED IF ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE ARE ENLIGHTEN IN REGARD TO INCIVILITY TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, MOST ESPECIALLY THE JUNIOR RANKS.YOU GUYS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED. KEEP IT UP.
This is not about the police but about the Vio they have to be checked i was stopped by the VIO and my Drivers License was alleged to be fake without proofing that to me i wan fine 25,000 instead of the 5,000 fine for the actual office if committed pls help take this up and appeal to our govt to curtail the activities of this so called Vio because they are making life hard for lagosians.
Stan has clearly covered the needful towards the a significant reduction of the use of torture by the policein Nigeria. Over and above this i believe that a legal framework that prevents torture is imperative and needs to be given eqaul priority.
Stanley is absolutely right.The criminal tendency of the Nigerian Police is a shame and embarrassment to the nation. Ofcourse, the violence and abuse perpetrated using the arms purchased by taxpayers' money is good reason to call for drastic actions like,the scrapping of the current Force.The average armed Police recruit(talk less of the ranked) feels on top of the world and can insult, abuse and violently "deal" with anybody refusing to submit to his sometimes idiotic approach to policing, or "rule of might".Worse still, the violence and abuse are usually directed more at the poor, hapless, unarmed and innocent members of the communities; while the violent criminals scare the Police. Take the simplest case of the roadblocks: what manner of criminals could the roadblocks' Police possibly catch-innocent road users or small non- violent criminals. The Police at these road blocks scamper for safety once there is information of approaching armed bandits.Yet at these road blocks everywhere in Nigeria, the Police, with inpunity "rob" impoverished drivers with everybody watching.The crime rate in Nigeria.cannot reduce with the quality of Policemen currently armed to police the nation. Crime is like a hobby to them. The question remains-who will police the police since their Ogas appear to support their menace? Without the support of the highest Police authority, I doubt that Police men would be committing these crimes with the kind of impunity you see everywhere.
Comment to ''Stopping Police violence and Abuse in Nigeria''
Police brutality in Nigeria is hss become a norm. Even if there are forensic laps in Nigeria, the rank and file would tenaciously stick to the short cut of extracting information by use of force. What then is the way out?
In response to this question is to suggest the introduction of ''community policing ‘’ in Nigeria where the police will be given the orientation to note that, the role of policing transcend far beyond enforcing the law to service delivering to the community in which they serve.
In so doing, the police is not only accountable to the police force, the government but more to the people. The police force should be community friendly, work together with the community. Instead of car patrol more walking patrol should be encouraged with selected members of the community.
The police as protector of life and property owed a supreme duty to citizens to respect their human rights at all time. Democratic policing is all about service to the people. Until the Nigeria police force is orientated to change this mind set, even given the best equipment in the world, violence will remain a tool for investigation as the leopard will never shed its spot. Community policing enhances accountability and efficiency. The key word is attidutional change and commitment to one's community.
The research and report by Stanley is revealing. I have always wanted to know the international standard for the police and policing and I have found out that it is not the standard for policemen to mount roadblocks and extort money brazenly from innocent people. More than 90 percent of police work is intelligence which ensures that crime is nibed on the bud. The international standard for the police and policing is not only combat as we always do but more of intelligence. It is also unfortunate that even when these policemen mount their illegal road blocks, they do not have walkie talkies as others do but are always distracted by their mobile telephones. Some even chart away with passers by and drivers not minding what their duties are How will a policeman give information about a crime on a spot on the highway to others if not by the use of modern tecnology. Instead they delight in using brute force. Nigeria we hale thee.