I have often wondered why crime is on the increase in Nigeria. My blame has mostly been on the economic down turn in our nation. Again, I have also blamed the greed that gave rise to the "Get rich quick" syndrome among many of our people.
I have often wondered why crime is on the increase in Nigeria. My blame has mostly been on the economic down turn in our nation. Again, I have also blamed the greed that gave rise to the "Get rich quick" syndrome among many of our people.
You see, in civilised societies where the Police do their jobs, they are viewed with distrust and suspicion. Who can then believe the saying that the Police is his or her friend in a nation such as Nigeria where justice can be bought and the Police openly solicit for bribe from both the accused and the complainant?
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But the Nigerian Police is not entirely to blame. We Nigerians share a great bulk of the blame as to why the Nigerian Police appears helpless in many criminal matters reported to them. I have just found out that it is perceived as a taboo for one to go to the Police to report a crime in our culture. Its sacrilege when the accused or the criminal is a member of your own family, a neighbour, a friend or an associate at work.
"He has done wrong", "He is evil", "He has crossed the line", "There is no excuse for the crime he has committed", ......are some of what you hear from those who have come to sympathise with a victim of crime. And then they conclude by telling you to withdraw the case from the police. Their reason? He is a member of your family!
A preacher I know, and I know many, was quick to throw his weight behind a criminal as against the one being bullied for calling in the police. "He will not report to the Police, its a family affair", said the ignorant Pastor! Straight away, I knew that Nigeria was in trouble. A Pastor who cannot stand on the truth and openly too! Gracious me! If the righteous be scarcely saved.....
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What our people fail to understand is that one is more likely to be assaulted, attacked or even killed by people who are close to home. What we hear mostly is that a wife killed her husband, a husband killed his wife, a brother killed his brother, sister, mother; or a colleague at work, killed his or her co worker etc.
Life threatening crimes by a total stranger do happen but they are not as common as those by people we know and have relationships with. You only have to open any newspaper around the world and you will see headlines such as the following screaming at you;
A man accused of killing his mother was today arraigned........
Former Marine murdered Stepfather.................
The Provost section of the Lagos State Police Command has commenced an orderly room trial for a 36-year-old police corporal, Halidu Shaibu, for the alleged murder of his colleague..........
The police in Ogun have arrested a 30-year-old panel beater, Wasiu Yusuf, for allegedly stabbing his friend, Adeolu Olatoye, to death in Abeokuta..........
After spending four years in prison custody for allegedly battering his wife to death, a commercial bus driver, Babatunde Gbolahan, was on Tuesday charged before a Lagos High Court at Igbosere..........
A family feud and the murder of 45-year-old Dele Obasanya of Iwokun Nla in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State have led to the arrest of his 80-year-old uncle..........
A man accused of killing his mother was today arraigned........
I knew a family member who was constantly pummelled by her husband. She did not see the need to report to the police. One day, he threw her down from their sixth floor flat. She died. It was no longer a family issue.
In spite of the evidence of a higher rate of crime against known people, why do our people frown against reporting such matters to the police? I am struggling to find a satisfactory answer. Emotions and sentiments should not come in when safety and protection of lives and properties are in jeopardy.
As a result of this attitude, many people are left with permanent deformities or worst still are killed by people they know. Some had all the warning signs but failed to go to the Police because the culprits were members of their families, colleagues at work, neighbours or family friends.
The laws of a nation are binding on all her citizens. But in Nigeria, there seem to be a set of rules and laws for strangers and another set for dealing with family members. If I can lodge a complaint against a stranger who threatens to kill me, so would I against a family member who threatens to kill me. If I can press charges to the limits of the law, against a stranger who assaults me why would I let a family member go scot free after beating the crap out of me?
And the Police are so aware of this unwritten culture that has sent so many people to their early graves and has left criminals roaming our neighbourhoods, in the name of family. The police is the first to inform you that its a family matter. I am yet to see where it is written in the Police code book or in the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria that families are the only ones permitted to terrorise one another and go free.
The Nigerian Police must begin to play its role as protectors of lives and properties and begin to move away from the culture of tacitly supporting family bullies and those who intimidate and hold their families in captivity. I do have evidence that when one is willing to hold anyone to account for their criminal acts, the Police is willing to support you. Yes, the Nigerian Police. A police officer recently asked, "What use is a family to a dead person?" I am asking the same question.
Going to the police does not necessarily have to result in an arrest. Sometimes, it's just to put the issue on record. You will receive calls and visits from uninformed but concerned family members, urging you not to take the issue further. But it's your life and if you feel like you are in danger, the right decision would be to have the culprit cautioned and where necessary, arrested.
Its discouraging to go to the police in a nation where the police are known to oscillate between the accused and the victim, tilting more to the one that brings more money. No one should be put off reporting that they are in danger to the police because of this. It should be on record that you reported your fears, threats and intimidations to the police.
Nigerians must therefore, begin to hold family members, friends etc to account. The law is there for all. Its unfair that many bullies hide under the cloak of family to terrorise perceived weaker members of their families. Many have been maimed or worst still, killed in this process. If a family member knows that the weight of the law is the same for everyone, he or she would be very careful how they treat other family members.
Everyone deserves to be respected. The same law applies and should apply to every Nigerian, irrespective of whether their crime was against a stranger or a family member. The Police process can be long and arduous but it would be on record that the Police have been informed of any danger you might be facing.
If you allow a criminal in your family to keep on terrorising you, one day, that criminal will be listed among those left behind to mourn your untimely death. Go to the Police, it might be the only chance you have to live longer.
Follow me on Twitter @Laurestar
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters
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