REBRANDING THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE: CHALLAENEGS FOR

ONOVO

That the image of the Nigerian Police Force has been defected is no longer
news, but that no success has been recorded in redeeming the image of the
police, is really disheartening. One of Nigeria’s comedians sometime ago said
that Nigerian Police Force and NEPA (now PHCN), are the only two natural
disasters that we have in Nigeria. Well, while that is rib-cracking as sarcasm,
it fails to provide a pragmatic approach for police transformation and social
reconstruction in Nigeria. However, it gives one an insight into the level of
decay (ad sum mum) in these institutions.

In this fast pace and conflict inflicted environment like Nigeria, the Officers
and Men of the Nigeria Police Force are faced with series of important, life-
changing decisions every day, amidst competing and conflicting values and
interests which are publicly accessible. They are confronted with a variety of
ethical standards and dilemmas which may include: tribal biases and
interactions, observance of suspects’ constitutional rights, treatment of
offenders, evidence issues and opportunities for occupational deviance.
There is a high probability of mistakes, poor ethical decisions and sometimes
total neglect of morality for which the consequences can negatively affect
the agency, the profession, the government and the society at large.

Policing refers to measures and practices of securing the safety of members

of community as well as ensuring conformity to the NORMS and VALUES of
society. The Nigerian Police has indeed fallen short of these responsibilities
because of the obvious ethical vacuum and inability to overcome their
genuine moral challenges.

Despite the increase in unethical behaviors in the society, there is an

exception for the police to act ethically on and off duty, and in relationship to
the citizens even though there seems not to be any obligation for citizens to
act ethically in relationship to the police. Sadly, the Officers and men are not
equipped properly to make informed ethical decisions.
The immediate past IGP in his 9-point agenda had ‘five points’ which focused
on morality and the moral challenges of the Police. They include:
Transparency/accountability, war on corruption/crime, police public
image/public relation, human rights and community policing. The 9-point
agenda which was intended for a total transformation of the Force was
misdirected, not properly implemented, thus can be best described as the
act of pouring water on a duck.

Mike Okiro defined accountability and transparency as openness and

frankness, and promised in his inauguration speech on 5th June, 2007 that
transparency and accountability will be the hallmark of his administration in
order to ‘reverse the disdain and contempt with which Policemen are held
within the Nigerian society’. He did also promise that ‘all Police officers and
men must pledge themselves to offering services which the citizens expect
in a timely, fair, honest, effective and transparent manner’ and that ‘the
society expects nothing less and the new administration will pursue this goal
aggressively to its logical conclusion’.

Transparency and accountability are attitudinal and bothers a lot on one’s

mind-set, it therefore demands much more than mere pronouncement and
pledge. Pledges and oaths have proven futile in ensuring commitment to
truth and honesty, especially in Nigeria. Otherwise all Nigerians would have
become saints after forty nine years of pledging to our country Nigeria, to be
faithful, loyal and honest.

Transparency and accountability require intentionality of act and purpose,

development of conviction and commitment to truth and honesty. However,
this can only be made possible through dedicated training, retraining and
control.

The war on corruption is not a war against an enemy out there; it is first and
foremost a war for the self and against the self before the other, the victory
follows same. It requires a total change of the self, complete deconstruction
of the present mind-set, belief and worldview of the police which brews
corruption. It is therefore a war that must first be won internally and like the
light that shines in darkness, it manifests externally dispelling corruption in
every dimension. This explains why the Police has failed on this.

Policing has become more community based; hence accountability to the

public has become a highly relevant issue that affects delivery of police
service. The police as a criminal agency has a responsibility to safeguard the
rule of law, and take into account the fundamental rights and freedoms of
the individuals. In any democracy, policing requires high levels of integrity if
it is to be acceptable. The police must ensure the public trust if the system is
to perform its mission to the fullest and redeem its public image. It has
become very critical to ensure that the Officers and Men are equipped with
the knowledge and skills that would enable them make informed ethical
decisions, thereby minimizing appreciably, the degree of ethical
misjudgement and unethical behaviour.

In 1997, the International association of Chiefs of Police made it clear that

Police Ethics training has become the greatest training and leadership need
of the Police today and in the next century. They further admitted that most
departments do not conduct ethics training and that nothing is more
devastating to the police profession than uncovered scandals or discovered
acts of officer misconduct and unethical behaviour.

It has become clear that it is only the properly educated and trained police
officers that are able to respond adequately to moral and ethical dilemmas of
their profession. It is only a police officer who is able to solve these
dilemmas appropriately that can perform his duties professionally and to the
benefit of the community. And finally, in doing the above, he cannot rely
solely on his intuition and experience. Hence there is the need to reinforce
ethical values in policing, through training in the principles of police ethics,
moral reasoning, ethical decision making and standards of ethical conducts
in the profession without which the image of the force would not be salvaged
and the war on corruption not won.

Police ethics is a branch of applied normative ethics, which establishes a link

between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ and holds ethical theory accountable to
practice and professional practice accountable to theory. It is the application
of the principles of applied ethics to the police profession.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that the Nigerian Police is facing serious
moral crisis, which has cancerously eaten the heart of the institution. Though
some have argued that the state of the police is a reflection of the society,
thus as part of the society, cannot be different from the whole. While this is
definitely true and logical, I consider it as escapism.

I remember with so much hope and optimism, the likes of David Apaegee,
Francis Iheanacho, Ovat Etim, Yakubu Idakwo and Usang Benjamin,
described aptly as ‘The Fantastic Five’ by Ken Ugbechie. These policemen
returned wallet containing credit cards valued at 100,000 pounds sterling,
ATM debit card, raw cash and other valuables. Ken Ugbeche reported that as
men who were under intense financial pressure enough to make them pilfer,
pinch and poach, they did not submit to the lust for lucre and the lure of
perfidy, rather they banished the thought and fantasy of the volume of goods
they could purchase with 100,000 pounds and chose chastity and honesty.

Unlike other breed of cops whose acts were written in inks of ignominy,
infamy and wrenching odium, these men dared to be Daniel, dared to stand
alone as models, moral leaders and the hope for a new Nigeria.

As the Inspector General of Police Mr Ognonna Onovo, promised; ‘by the

time we complete the reforms we will have the kind of police force that will
be a par with our colleagues all over the world’, honest efforts must be made
to achieve this, to ensure that Police attains a level of moral awareness and
be properly equipped to make informed ethical decisions like ‘The Fantastic
Five’.

Ubechie’s conclusion that the Fantastic Five deserve further training to

prepare them for higher responsibilities in the force and should be
encouraged to get to the top, for that’s where men like them belong, is
strategic for a true and sustainable rebranding of the Nigeria Police Force.

Offia Enyichukwu Omeaku

08034161282
enoffia@yahoo.com