 Published
October 19th, 2011
Frankly speaking one would have thought the
massive enlightening and happenings going on across the
globe with regard to the new information age should have
been eye opening to our security agents, especially our
scandalized Nigeria Police Force (NPF). But, unfortunately,
this seems to have worsened the understanding and social
conscience of our men in black. It is quite baffling and
sometimes embarrassing when you hear the stories of our
policemen still being used as puppet by some of our selfish
politicians. Just like what happened last week, when the
police hierarchy threw caution into thin air and shamelessly
went bullying some patriotic journalists who were just doing
their job for God and country.
The coming of the internet and the globalization of our
today’s activities, especially our freedom of expression and
freedom of opinion has not really sank properly into the
minds of our police force, neither have they comprehended
that no nation, no matter how much it tried, can suppress
the freedom of speech of its citizenry. Yes! Sir, Mr.
Policeman, the world is now bigger, broader and more
information free than you still carry in your outdated modus
operandi.
I wonder if the Nigerian Police Force thought it wise to
comprehend that even if The Nation newspaper and its
patriotic staff had not published that selfish letter
attributed to our do or die Baba Ota, it would have
definitely found its way to the internet and from there
syndicated across the globe. And I am sure the force would
not want to face the embarrassment of its futile efforts to
arrest those enthusiastic internet posters and publishers on
Facebook, 2go, Twitter, My Space, Nairaland, Sahara
Reporters, and the many happy bloggers who would have been
happy to blog the letter freely to the world to see. I
doubt, if our police force understands the simple logic that
they can no longer harass the Nigerian citizenry anyhow,
while the eyes of the world are now staring at their naked
impunity and sabi –sabi.
The Nigerian citizenry I am sure are more interested in how
they arrest the security situation in the country than
bulldozing their way into an intellectual setting and
arresting few good men doing their job. The Nigerian
taxpayers including the arrested journalists are paying
their taxes for the police to effectively and boldly tackle
the menace of the Boko Haram, their encumbrance, instead of
bullying innocent press men, who are zealously exposing the
selfish agendas of some of our failed leaders.
Have the police arrested those thieving politicians around
us, siphoning our money and under developing our country?
What have they done about the daily deadly robberies across
our roads, towns and villages and the invasion of our land
by illegal aliens, who have taken over our economic
activities and are fast scheming into our social and
political lives? Have the police and its highest chain of
command sat down and prudently tackled the problems
bedeviling the force and the shameful condition of some of
its personnel and their families across the many dilapidated
police barracks across the country? Instead of arresting
this embarrassing menace and patriotically ensuring that
those corrupt leaders who over the decades have stolen their
right to proper living, training and sensible enumeration
are arrested and jailed for longer years, the police are
going after innocent pen men who are justifiably fighting a
cause that one way or the other affects them.
What have our bullying police force done about arresting
corruption in virtually all corners of our country and the
numerous fraudulent activities of some public servants we
hear and witness every day. Who among the notorious Nigerian
oil cabal have the police been able to arrest and prosecute
patriotically in the eyes of the world? What are they doing
on the unvarying ethno- religious killings and madness going
on in some section of this country? How have they been able
to tackle the shameless issue of child rape, rituality,
kidnappers,child labour and domestic violence, including
some fraudulent political and religious activities going on
under our eyes?
Are the Nigerian police force bullies on helpless citizens
as some analysts have projected? The hostile relationship
being portrayed on journalists across the country over the
years is a serious concern to every right thinking 21st
century individual. The Nigerian media and the Nigerian
police have always portrayed a comic-like strip of the
famous Tom and Jerry relationship. Is it true that the
police only bully and arrest those it can shout on,beat
senselessly and lock up without mercy, as long as the
godfather is not there or the naira wont flow? Is it not
actually a shame to the force that at this age of
information technology where even the remotest village in
the world today can be seen from anywhere and every single
activities captured on satellite, yet they allowed
themselves to be used and dumped in the eyes of both local
and international media who now have a true picture of their
one sided unconstitutional behaviours.
How many writers and publishers of the various letters and
opinions that float most of our newspapers have they
arrested and how many complainers do they have in their
record? Or is Baba’s letter a reincarnation of the famous
Dele Giwa letter? When would the Nigerian police
establishement understand the simple fact that they are paid
by the tax payers to protect their rights to speech, right
to movement and assembly and right to the security of their
lives and property? When will it occur to them that the
Nigerian citizenry irrespective of class, statue, religion
or tribe is their primary constituency? As it really occurs
to our bullying police force that without the media only God
would have known what would have happened to the many
atrocities, maladministration and corruption that had
bedeviled the hitherto respected force over the years. The
distinguished men of the pen have fought gallantly over
their many causes: ranging from proper remuneration,
compensation, accommodation, training and justice to many of
them that had fallen one way or the other to injustice among
its ranks. When will they recognize that the world see them
more as bullies due to their ill- treatment of innocent
citizens over the decades and their anti social behaviours?
Has it really occurred to the Nigeria police that they are
policing Nigerians like themselves and not illegal aliens
from other nations or planets? Is it actually possible that
they understand that their wives, children and other members
of their families attend the same markets, schools, and
travel the same roads with us? Question, question and
questions, so many questions for our men in black.
Anyway, I think, it is important for the Nigeria Union of
Journalists on behalf of these patriotic men of the pen who
were disgracefully arrested from their line of duty sue the
Nigeria Police Force and its hierarchy locally and
internationally, to serve as an example to other overzealous
policemen who might be instigated by the letter of another
failed leader among the many sitting on our collective
wealth and enjoying them freely under the full glaring eyes
of the police. And importantly, to remind them that the
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian empowers
the Nigeria media of a freedom of expression and a legal law
of freedom of information, and that no matter the bullying
and intimation, the Nigerian media historically have never
and would never succumb to the timid guns of the police;
that can never be mightier than the pen.
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