The Excesses Of The Men In Black Uniform

Joseph Aliu

 

I’ve asked questions, answered the questions and even questioned the answers as to the functionality and positive effectiveness of the supposed men in black uniform of the Nigerian state.

These men in black uniform now begin to wield unusual than normal powers statutorily assigned to them. The menace that these men in black uniform bring are better described than imagined.

It is rather unfortunate that the purpose for which the men in black uniform was created has been defeated, why?, under our extant laws in Nigeria, the primary purpose for which they were created is to maintain peace and order in the society. Sadly, and most worrying, the men in black uniform are in themselves bones in the neck of the good people of Nigeria.

These men in black uniform choose who they want to protect. The poor, helpless, financially handicapped citizens who refuse to grease their palms are always at their mercy.

These men in black uniform, position themselves at strategic places which they refer to as check-point to carry out heinous, ignoble, nefarious, immoral, unruly, unconstitutional and illegal activities, arbitrarily extorting and exploiting the citizens in broad day light.

It is so painful and traumatizing that when these good citizens who have nothing in monetary value to offer, these men in black uniform, illegally detains them for an offence they know nothing about.

We can go ahead to discuss what ‘travelling’ means in the language of the men in black uniform. It might interest you to know that a person who is being replaced with a criminal who has been sentenced to death, now unjustly killed, in the event that such person who has been replaced is been asked about, he said to have being travelled.

Now, the question that should bother the mind is, why should these men in black uniform whom confidence have been reposed for the peace and order of the society, and whom lives and properties of the citizens at large have been entrusted in their care, decide to carry such heinous and dastardly act of ‘travelling’ persons?. It can be tailored and calculated to only mean that these men in black uniform are after the mundane and quotidian benefits that would be accrued to them. It is so irritating to even come to awareness that some of them do it for some mouth-watering sums of amount.

Have we talked about how these men in black uniform have availed themselves to be used as a tool by the oppressors we call leaders in the constant perpetration of unleashing and inflicting pains on the citizens?, these men in black uniform aid the commission of crime in the society, they are called upon to maim citizens who tries to speak truth to power.

If impunity were to wear a face, it’d be that of these men in black uniform. They put the lives of citizens in precarious state and feel that nothing can be done to them because of their black uniform. Their disregard, disrespect and unpalatable behaviour to citizens as them is nothing to write home about. They unjustly brutalize citizens, making them feel less humans. The ones who are courageous to stand up to their unholy act, gets arrested and unlawfully detained.

These men in black uniform claim to be friends to the common man, in actuality, they are enemies and ill-luck to the common man. They are only friends to those who are friendly to their pockets. They are friends to those who tips them at their supposed check point. If you don’t tip them, they travel on a voyage of searching for anything to implicate you. This is bad for a growing and developing country as ours.

The trigger happy of these men in black uniform which results in extrajudicial killing and maiming of the good citizen is a thorn in the flesh and has kept the good people of Nigeria in constant fear of their lives, which is not supposed to be so. The men in black uniform shoots sporadically and erratically, without a second thought at citizens who fail to do any unconstitutional act required of them by the men in black uniforms.

Is it the extrajudicial killing of a 17 year old girl who already gained admission to start the journey to her career which happened at the wee hours of 13th September 2021 we should talk about or that of Monsurat Ojuade, 18 year old girl that was killed by a trigger-happy man in black uniform on the 11th September, 2021?

It is so saddening that because the victims of these trigger-happy men in black uniform are not related to the ruling class but of the common masses, they never get justice and these men in black uniform, freely roam about the streets without being punished.

More worrying is the fact that when citizens comes in mass action by way of protest as regards heinous activities carried out by these men in black uniform, these citizens get brutalized, maimed and arrested, on the holding that they should get permit from them before staging a protest. All thanks to our ever brilliant, perspicacious and rational reasoning courts who went ahead to hold in the case of IGP v. ANPP that “ no police permit or authority is required to carry out a protest. To require such will be a clog in the exercising of their fundamental rights contained under sections 39 and 40, CFRN. A rally or placard carrying is a form of expression of issues affecting the governed and government of the state. It will be primitive to require a pass to hold a protest.”

From the foregoing, it suffices to say that the brutalizing and maiming of citizens who have come to the barricades to air out their views by the men in black uniform are in contradistinction to the decisions of the court.

These men in black uniform and their excesses are cancers in the society. They are clog in the administration of peace and order in the Nigerian state. There’s need for overhaul amongst the men in black uniform if peace is to reign in the society.

This writer arguably posits that majority of the Nigerian problems would be solved if the excesses of these men in black uniform are curbed.

But, who are these men in the black uniform? Well, you guessed right.

The era of impunity is over.

Aluta continua.

JOSEPH ALIU is a Human Rights Activist, Good Governance Advocate and a 300 level Law student, Oou chapter and can be reached via 09029265474, 09085773212, aliujoseph085@gmail.com

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