The Police Also Cry

By kunle ademoye

The month in question was January. The current year of our Lord Year 2013 of course. Time was in the early hours of the day; between 1.00a.m and 2.00a.m. The specific date? Oh pardon me. Its beyond my recall for now. Memory fails me I therefore crave your pardon.

On the day in question, a gang of bandits, armed to the teeth, with their familiar weapon of mass destruction, invaded the Ebute-Metta area of Mainland Local Government.

Before you knew it, they had bulldozed into the apartment of a certain woman; an Alhaja, who lived downside Cemetery Street just a stone throw distance to the national headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Held her hostage, and carted away personal valuables worth quite a huge sum.

But would it not have been fair, if it had simply ended that way, with only mere valuables carted away, and nothing more than that.

Unfortunately this was not the case. The incident claimed more than mere valuables. Unquantifiable valuables of human lives perished with it. A policeman Corporal Morufu lost his life in the process.

At the point in time when the hoodlums had just arrived, a taxi car coincidentally ran into the vicinity. The robbers sighting the taxi and suspecting that the occupants were possibly enemies who were up to something funny – they wasted no time, as a volley of bullets rammed into the taxi, killing the occupant, a trader, who also lived in the area.

As had been portrayed just before now, it would be seen that both a police and civilian, lost their lives in the process; however, our focus will be centred primarily on the police, not because one life is more valuable than the other. No. Far from that. But just for the sheer purpose of this write up; which is meant to illustrate the pitiable plight of the police, using the sorry case of Corporal Morufu as a veritable real life example.

For the teeming mass of people, who were not priviledged to know at that time, our story is just beginning.

In this regard, one recalls that immediately the bandits, announced their presence in the area, responsive residents had wasted no time in alerting the police, who immediately zoomed into the area, and went straight to business, leaving their driver at alert, by the police van, in case of emergency.

But unknown to the police, a detachment of the bandits, who hitherto were hanging loosely around the vicinity as a back up cover for their colleagues in the thicker theatre of operation; emerged from nowhere; pumping a volley of hot lead that sent the lonely but dutifully alert cop to an untimely grave.

Now the man is already dead. The dead is already gone, so to say. No recognized device of human technology, or genius of medical science could bring him back to life. No amount of money could also adequately compensate for his life, or wipe off the ever dripping tears of the family.

For me personally, in my capacity as an ex-lawmaker who had represented the Mainland constituency for eight years in the Lagos House of Assembly and who primarily was born and bred in Mainland, where I had lived all my life up till today and had therefore identified with every ramification of unfolding trend and dynamics of events in the L.G, even as a community activist for over three and half decades – I had followed this incident and indeed, every particular details of it, with consuming zeal.

Allow me to stress that it was this incident which for the first time, throughout my adult life, exposed me more than at any other time, to the pitiable poverty in which the police and their family are enmeshed. The point being stressed here is the extreme poverty of Corporal Ojo and his family , which I got to know of in details, through impeccable extra official sources.

It need be stressed here, that even if they had all the money in this life, that would not have sufficed in compensation for the gruesome killing of their departed breadwinner.  But at least, all the same, their pains in this case, would have been reduced simply to the loss of their beloved one. But the case of this poor dead corporal and his family was not like that. They wallowed in poverty, and to worsen it all – their sole bread winner, whom the entire family had seen as a dependable pillar and tower of support is gone.

In other words, the family are helplessly fated to contend with two tragedies. The tragedy of the death of their bread winner, and the tragedy of the stark poverty which perpetually stare them in the face.

And as if to rub salt on injury, the woes of the family became all the more compounded when it appeared as if their bread winner will not rest in peace.

If the dead is dead, and not just dead like that, but in the noble context of active service, especially to fatherland, does he not deserve rest? Yes he does, I should think.

But the peaceful rest of Corporal Morufu seemed mortally threatened as the official police source that was to bear the brunt of his burial, was not readily forth-coming to chip in a dime.

As a community leader, following the unfolding trend with keen interest I got to understand through reliable extra-official source that it was the Divisional Police Officer under whom he served, who took upon the initiative to quickly mobilize resources in his private capacity to save the day. It’s just as bad as that.

Take note please, that this discourse has not even taken into consideration, the terrible condition of service of the police, which has become a notorious feature of general public knowledge.

By this, I mean the cripplingly poor salary and total emoluments that would make even a chicken rage in anger as grossly short of a chicken feed talkless of sufficing for an able-bodied homo-sapien, who is supposed to be higher in the natural order of creation, than a chicken.

So agitated was I, by this matter, that just some few months ago, I had made it a point of duty to attend a seminar at Unilag, which was principally centred on security

On the occasion in question, I just could not be at peace with myself, concerning the horrible plight which the ordinary rank and file cadre of the police force were compelled to contend with, until my restless mind impelled me to approach the incumbent commissioner of police in Lagos State, in the person of – who was also one of the distinguished guests on that occasion.

In the course of our private discussion, I had put before him, the nagging question bordering on the sorry plight of the police. The gist of his reply was that the matter was an exclusive prerogative of the police service commission and the Minister of Police Affairs.  At least he is still living. He should be able to bear me out on this score, or denounce accordingly, as the case may be.

I do not intend to dwell so much on the tacit nature of response of this top police brass which at best could in deed be described, as begging the question.

The point that however naturally arises, and which cannot be too often emphasized, is the need for the presidency, as the prime-mover of national affairs to make it a matter of urgency, to address the sorry welfare gap of members of the police force, with the emergency step it deserves.

Now, lets come to think of it. What measure of dedication do you expect from a sad hungry policeman, who had left his family hungry at home – to report for the day’s duty.

Can you consider how ridiculous it is, that you pay such a policeman, mere stipend or literally less than stipend – to guide a bullion van carrying probably hundreds of millions or billions of naira. If such policeman has the opportunity to compromise, don’t you think he is likely to do so.

Also take for instance, the case of a poorly paid and ill-fed policeman, who had left his suffering family, in the usual sadly circumstance; to report for normal daily duty, like guiding the residence of a rich family. What amount of dedication do you expect from such policeman. What sort of attitude do you expect him to harbor toward the rich affluent family, whose lives and property he is asked to protect?

Imagine a policeman, with the excruciating poverty which typify their living condition. This policeman is being owed arrears of monthly salary, even inspite of the stipend which goes for his take home pay.

The month had already expired, yet this policeman does not still know when the stipend of his salary would be paid. Yet you ask him to go and protect a bank.

This is why I am always surprised, if not amused, when eyebrows are raised here and there, about policemen collecting N20 bribe from Molue or Danfo drivers.

Take for instance, the recent scandal in which a policeman was sacked for attempt to extort money from a motorist some where around Ikeja Airport, over an alleged traffic misconduct on the part of the motorist.

This incident which was widely celebrated via the internet, has continued to generate unabated  heat, almost two months  after, yet, it does not in any affect the moral mindset of the average police in the fundamental and radical sense of it, as they continue more than ever before, to collect the much condemned “egunje” bribe.

On a personal note, I myself cannot remember the number of time I would be teased on the road by this pitiable fellow compatriots in uniform, for the usual customary gratification, in this context I refer to recent cases, even after this much publicized internet scandal, earlier referred to.

On this, one would have expected that the recently celebrated internet scandal involving one of them, would be just enough to get them scared, but rather, the reverse has actually been the case.

Even their bosses are not deceived. I am saying this because I knew from reliable grapevine sources that nowadays, police officers who want to lead their juniors on special counter-terrorist operation often kept the secret close to their chest.

At the zero hour or the last minute, so to say, you find them dishing out orders – asking their men to surrender their handsets with immediate effect – after which they dramatically announce the particular operation they were going out for, including the destination.

Of course the reason for this surprise tactics now being adopted as the normal routine strategy cannot be far- fetched. Simply put, it is a deliberately calculated measure to guide against the possibility of one or two men among the team acting as informant or a traitorous sell-out – by tipping off the enemy camp with prior information, in return for personal gratification. The situation is as bad as that.

But for how long does one continue in this vein. For how long do we allow this corrupt system to thrive.

Yet I make bold to emphasize at this juncture, that there is a limited extent to which we could blame these deprived class of our police compatriots. They are an integral part of the society, and society as we know, is corrupt from head to toe.

The fore-going apart. If you want to grapple with any problem; of whatever nature that problem might be – what does common sense teach? Is it not to tackle it from the root, rather than address the effect or scratching the surface.

In other words, what dividend by way of positive change does it yield, by subjecting the police to endless disciplinary measures, while leaving the crucial issue of his welfare largely unaddressed.

How many policemen or prospective policemen, who happened to have witnessed the sorry case of the tragedy of Corporal Moruf, will ever be fired by the enobling flame of patriotism, let alone die for fatherland.

Now come to think of it. Are these police an Island unto themselves, and not a part of the society? To be sure, at every part of the society, high-wire corruption is replete everywhere. Why do we shut the eye against the huge ocean of corruption that pervade the nation, while deriving every pleasure to make the police a whipping boy?

If it is indeed true, as we are always wont to argue, that the sensitive nature of their callings is such that doesn’t permit such rot, why don’t we consider this same, all important nature of their profession and see that; as a factor to elevate their quality of living. Afterall is a hungry man not an angry man?

Yet all said and done, I make bold to emphasize, and without mincing words too, that quite a considerable number of our much ridiculed policemen, deserve every kudos and commendation for their exemplary sense of dedication.

In this connection, one only needs to consider the high rate of crime all over the country, and the high sense of valour and professionalism with which this poorly paid and ill-equipped policemen daily grapple with them, even at the risk of their lives.

The police deserve all encouragements we could extend to them. They deserve every incentive not only financially, but morally too.

Indeed no amount of compensation we extend to them would be too much. By helping the police, we are only helping ourselves. By neglecting them, we are only postponing the evil day. A word is enough for the wise.

•Hon. Ademoye, an ex-Lawmaker, was Chairman Committee on Housing, Lagos State House of Assembly.