A young woman’s life, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, was cut short by Drambi Vandi, a police officer attached to the Ajiwe police station in Ajah Area, on Christmas day. This does not come as a surprise to many, and it’s not going to be the last; it’s just a matter of time before another victim of police killings surfaces in the news.
It has become numb in this country to the fact that human life has no value. A life is cut short in such a cruel manner; this happens on a daily basis; we only discuss it and condemn it, then we move on without
It is like an ordinary Nigerian being counted like a sheep before the slaughter, either by law enforcement or criminals.
What is going on in the minds of the officers at the Ajiwe police station?
On the 7th of December 2022, a promising young man, Kafaru Brahimoh, was shot dead by a policeman from Ajiwe Police Station. Barely two weeks ago, similar incidents claimed the life of Omobolanle Raheem.
It’s rather unfortunate when the officer says that he cocked the gun to frighten a motorist and forgot to put it in safe mode.
When he wants to cock the gun again, he pulls the trigger, which kills the lawyer, and that might have been the same reason Brahimoh was shot dead.
The impunity at the Ajiwe police station may have caused Omobolanle’s death, which happened to be a high-profile murder by the police officer. That means there might have been killings going unreported.
Why are police officers always cut up in this mess?
The truth be told, it’s a societal problem, and in as much as it does not affect the leaders, there is no solution.
We might be tempted to ask why the police killing is predominant in the southern part of this country.
There’s always resentment. when a police officer stops a motorist by the road. What is the cause of the bitterness? Could it be jealousy, an inferiority complex, low self-esteem, or trying to catch on to the era of impunity? Or poor welfare, or mental health issues—we can go on and on.
The bottom line is that the problem of the Nigerian police is complex, and the leaders do not want to address it.
Does leadership lack ideas?
Nigerian leaders know what to do, but it seems they don’t want to do it for reasons best known to them. promised all the time and talked about it when the unfortunate events happened, but there was no solution.
Observation shows that the men and women of the Nigerian police force have been poorly treated to start with. An average policeman on the street is always bitter. That’s a serious concern.
Somehow, the men and women of the Nigerian police force have been turned into beggars.
Can Omobolanle Raheem’s death be a lesson?
There are laws that control the accessiveness of government agencies, but enforcement seems to be the problem.
A police officer sometimes believes in using highhandedness to bring the citizens to submission at the slightest provocation.
Hence, learning a lesson from here is counterproductive; otherwise, #EndSARS would have been a perfect opportunity for the leaders, police service commission, and inspector general of police to act and prevent future occurrences. but see where we are today.
We all saw and also witnessed the hollow response experience at the Lekki toll gate on December 20, 2020, that will forever remain in our hearts. So we are absolutely going to learn nothing.
The way forward
The entire police force must undergo comprehensive reform. The police system of today was created and used by imperialists, and we can’t expect civil behavior from them.
It is time for the politicians to consider giving the Nigerian people a civil police force. This is the responsibility of the members of the national assembly to do so.
This is the time to wake up and face reality; who knows! Who’s going to be the next to get fire and kill in the way of Omobolanle Raheem and Kafaru Brahimoh?
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