Police killings: Matters arising
SIR: Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) condemns in strong term the recent killings in various parts of the country by men of the Nigerian Police.
CRP observed that there has been an increase in the spate of indiscriminate shooting and killings of innocent Nigerians in the last few months. Over 20 specific incidents of "accidental discharge or deliberate discharge" have so far been recorded. This is mostly as a result of refusal on the part of the victims to pay (bribe) the trigger-happy policemen, who in most cases position themselves at strategic locations both day and night extorting money from innocent Nigerians. The commercial vehicle operators are mostly victims of this disgraceful act by the police as their refusal to accede to this illegal demand often lead to point-black shooting. Instances of such killings include late Muyiwa Popoola, a civil engineer, working with Prodel Construction Company in Ekiti State who was gunned down by the police on suspicion of being an armed robber. Another case is that of late Saheed Aborisade, a butcher who was shot dead by the police at a checkpoint in Ibadan, Oyo State for refusing to give a bribe of N20 to the policeman.
CRP is worried at the spate of these killings by the Police who are supposed to protect lives and property and to uphold and defend the constitution which guarantees fundamental rights to life. Section 33 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution provides that "every persons has a right to life and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, except found guilty by the law court.
CRP hereby calls on the National Assembly to summon the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of Police Affairs to explain to Nigerians and the National Assembly what they are doing to curb this ugly development. All the offending policemen should be brought to justice. Also, going by the recent pronouncement by President Olusegun Obasanjo that some policemen and Customs officials do aid and abet smugglers and armed robbers by hiring out weapons to them, CRP wonders why nothing has been done to arrest the trend and those guilty brought to book.
CRP also calls on President Obasanjo to restructure and professionalise the Police to ensure that all the bad eggs are flushed out from the system.
Yinka Lawal,
Executive Director,
Constitutional Rights Project, Lagos
