Terror in the Nation
By
It struck me a few days ago that an enterprising and creative record producer stands to make quite a fortune by capitalising on the current state of terror in the nation. You must be wondering what the connection is between a record and the very dire situation of bandits holding the nation to ransom from Lagos to Abuja and beyond. Quite a lot and if you just tarry awhile it will be made clear. It has become accepted as a fact within the record industry that one way to be almost certain of getting a commercially successful record, is to get a melody song with a memorable refrain or what is referred to as a good book line - some meaningful lyrics which have contemporary topical relevance, and a competent set of performers.
In the seventies, Lee Perry, a gifted but eccentric reggae producer used the aforementioned formula very successfully. He found a song, which was an accurate
commentary on the state of extreme fear unleashed on the Jamaican society by the violent behaviour of police and thieves. Written and performed by a
virtually unknown Junior Murvin, the song - in both its vocal and dub versions - not only became an instant hit, but also has remained a classic. Of course,
Junior Murvin would end up becoming part of Bob Marley's Wailers. That Lee Perry and Junior Murvin song is appropriately titled: "Police and Thieves." Sometimes I have a feeling that the "and" in the
title could easily be replaced with the word "are." That would have even made the lyrical content more direct. Here is a sample lyric: "Police
and thieves/fighting the nation/with their guns and ammunition."
The more I listen to the song, the more I am amazed by the relevance to the current state of the Nigerian nation. Hence, my belief that a Nigeria version,
right mow would amount to a Midas touch for whoever produces it. It is no secret that bandits seem to be in control in our major cities and on the highways.
Consequently, no day passes without some people being forcibly and violently deprived of their possessions. The worse part of it is that these robbers not only steal, but they seem to delight in maiming and killing. So on a daily basis, a Nigerian family is thrown into grief by the gruesome murder of one of its members. In most cases, that victim is the breadwinner of the family.
As someone noted recently, the situation has reached a dangerous level at least in Lagos, such that a state of emergency ought to be declared. It really is that bad. The bandits no longer differentiate between day and night. They strike at any time of the day and anywhere. So even buses within and outside the city are not spared. The walls and gates that have become an architectural feature of every Lagos street no longer provide protection. Rather, as a friend rightly observed a day before the bandits came calling on our street, the walls and gates represent the architecture of fear. To that I would add the architecture of a siege. My friends made the comment as we watched our neighbours, a newly married couple, erect high wall around their bungalow. Until that Saturday morning, their bungalow and ours were the only two houses on that street without a high wall and fortress like gate.
Twenty-four hours later, the bandits struck and the high wall and fortress-like gate proved to be no deterrent. The couple lost quite a lot of their
valuables but were fortunate to have been spared any violence. They were only locked up in the toilet as the bandits made good their escape. A local security
man in a neighbouring house who took them on by stabbing one of them was less fortunate. One of his hands was shot at severally and it had to be amputated. In
a sense though, he was fortunate since they spared his life.
The distress call to the police yielded no result until well over an hour after the bandits had made their triumphant exit. It is very obvious that the police
can no longer protect the society from the assaults of marauders. One, they obviously lack the fire-power. Two, the police appear to be stretched thin. Part
of this has to do with the strange situation whereby policemen are hired out to institutions and wealthy citizens as guards. Consequently, the proper policing
of our streets are sorely neglected. Three, the police force has within its ranks members who are really no different from the bandits. The difference is that
the former have a cover but that even makes them more deadly as a lot of people have found out. The very person, who is supposed to protect you, turns his gun
on you and alleges that you are a bandit. Even the very idea of extorting money from pedestrians and motorists is criminal. Yet the act goes on unabashedly
right across the country. A few days ago I watched as officers of Federal Highway Patrol van 102 whose beat is a stretch between Tsafe and Gusau in Zamfara
State forcibly collected money from virtually every vehicle that plied that route Twice early last year I had seen this same team at work on that very spot.
Between then and now there has been much talk of re-organising the police. Certainly, the 102 team couldn't be bothered, like all their colleagues elsewhere.
And I wonder if it is wrong to call this armed robbery.
The extent of the criminal mindedness of the police is further evinced by the salary scandal. Previously, it had been argued that the low remuneration was
responsible for the involvement of some policemen in criminal acts. While the increased salary has not really changed things, some officers and officially are
obviously deliberating delaying the regular payment of the salaries, because they are lodging the monies in private accounts. This seems to be a practice that
has gained ground in most of the para-military outfits. In the prisons for instance, the officers were made to sign for November 2000 salaries which they are
yet to receive seven months later.
The reign for terror must be tackled decisively. It makes no sense that there can be so much insecurity in the land when the present political dispensation is
supposed to be to the benefit of the populace. As long as bandits and their police accomplices sustain their siege, the overall development of the nation will
be hampered. For instance, investors who cannot guarantee their personal safety will give Nigeria a wide berth. And internally, such a state of insecurity
means that the survival of government can easily be jeopardised. The increasing spate of ethnic clashes shows that the situation is becoming grave. This
situation works against the use of vigilante groups to combat crime because most of them are ethnic based. Besides, they too have shown the propensity for
taking the laws into the their hands be they Egbesu Boys, Bakassi Boys, OPC, APC, Sharia enforcers or the shadowy ones now holding sway in Nassarawa and Benue
states.
The Police Force must be ruthlessly reorganised immediately. It has been argued that criminals have become more sophisticated because they are influenced by
movies from abroad. Fine. But even in those movies, the police show they are up to the task through the organised way they fight criminals. Our police too
should learn from those movies how to keep tabs on criminals, how to pre-empt their attacks, and how to enforce the law in all situations. Getting the
Inspector General to relocate to Lagos for a couple of weeks, or the establishment of a squad with a bizarre name and compromised officers have proved to be
ephemeral and grossly inadequate. The longer this terror lasts, the greater the possibility of an implosion in the nation. Meanwhile, I might just look for
some dime and do Nigerian version of "Police and Thieves" and laugh all the way to the bank. But don't be surprised if both on my way to the bank
ambush me.