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When security officers turn criminals

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Suspected impersonators and criminals on parade by the police

In the last few months the involvement of security personnel in criminal acts has become worrisome. BAYO ALADE writes that though security agencies try to ensure that its personnel are of good conduct but inherent criminal tendencies in individuals sometimes overshadow professional expectations.

 

IN recent times, there had been an upsurge in the involvement of both former and serving security personnel in criminal activities across the nation, one of the most recent celebrated cases being that of one Michael Adikwu, a dismissed policeman who was arrested after being declared wanted in connection with the April 5 bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State.

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In that incident, more than 30 persons lost their lives. After his arrest, Adikwu who reportedly masterminded the robbery attack confessed that he personally killed several of the victims because he was angry over his dismissal from the police over a mysterious escape of some suspects from custody.

Also in late May, a naval officer, soldiers, and an ex-policeman, among others, were paraded for robbery by Oyo State police command. The soldier with his gang members often reportedly wear military camouflage and fatigues to go for ‘operations.’ Most of the time the gang members often swoop on ‘Yahoo boys’ from whom they extort money.

security, policel, police command
Composite pictures of Adikwu a former police officer involved in the Offa robbery incident

Even before now, the involvement of security officers in crime had been very rampant. In late 2016, 14 security personnel were paraded in Lagos for their involvement in criminal acts.

Among the suspects were nine ex-policemen who were arrested for offences ranging from unprofessional conduct, aiding and abetting of serious crimes such as cattle rustling, armed robbery and kidnapping in the North East.

Given the involvement of both serving and former security officers, the question arises: Is there a leak somewhere with the recruitment process into the security agencies?

Police image-makers including a police commissioner say the process is water-tight and that if some personnel exhibit criminal tendencies, it was not due to a faulty recruitment process, adding that internal mechanisms are in place to deal with such characters when they are exhibited and that the society also shares the blame.

Former Lagos police commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav thinks differently. He is of the opinion that criminal tendencies among policemen is traceable to lopsided promotion, favouritism in posting and shoddy recruitment process into the force, adding that indiscipline is currently at its peak.

According to Tsav, there is a general complaint in the police about politicised promotion which on its own causes low morale and disaffection and deviance against constituted authority.

“If you look at the institution (police) now you find out that morale is low; imagine a situation where a junior officer is promoted above his senior in the service, it apparently causes frustration.

“Also, posting has been commercialised in the police (in which) you pay money to be posted to a lucrative place; all these are the complaints from the serving officers and it is getting worse by the day,” the former police chief said.

Abubakar Tsav

Another issue, Tsav said, is the shoddy manner of recruitment process into police where “they do not probe into the characters of those to be recruited. Rather, they bring all manners of people and the resultant effect is the criminality one finds in the police of recent.”

Tsav advised that the leadership of the police should strive to reposition the force for it to regain its lost glory by reinstituting discipline in all ramifications.

Benue state commissioner of police, Mr Fatai Owoseni in a recent interview with Sunday Tribune however sees problems as not entirely within the police. He accused the public of not helping matters.

According to him members of the public need to help the situation by coming forward to provide sincere information on recruits when asked to do so.

“Part of the problem is that … you will see some in the community bringing people and when you tell them that somebody is not qualified physically, intellectually and academically, they will still want to impose them on you.

“The police did it in such a way that there is attestation form that has character assessment which the community leader – either traditional ruler or chairman of the local government – should sign.

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“But for the over 34 years I have been in the police I don’t think there is any traditional ruler who had said ‘this boy you want to recruit throws stones all over the village’ …everyone is a good man and it is what you give the police that police will take because we are from the society. We are a product of the society,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State police command, Chike Oti would not speak on why some of his men engage in criminal acts but said the state Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, was always putting his men on their toes to ensure that they remain professional in their conducts and eschew criminal acts.

“The Lagos State police command under the leadership of CP Imohimi Edgal is doing everything possible to ensure professionalism among our officers and the command does not condone any act of indiscipline from any officer in the command,” Oti told Sunday Tribune.

He, however, revealed that the state police command had in recent time come down hard on erring officers. He said that eight policemen had been dismissed between January and July this year, while many others had also been punished at varying degrees.

According to him, eight were dismissed, four were demoted, 28 had warning notices, three had severe reprimands, among other forms of punishments. He added that five officers were also discharged and acquitted after due investigations.

Just like Lagos State and other police commands across the nation, Kano State police command also addresses its officers from time to time on the issue of discipline. State command’s PPRO, Superintendent of Police Magaji Musa Majia, who spoke on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Yusuf, told Sunday Tribune that the CP was always «warning that any policeman found involved in misconduct will be investigated and if indicted will be prosecuted in court of law.» This he said had curbed involved of men of the command in criminal acts.

state police command
PPRO of the Kwara State police command, Ajayi Okasanmi

Speaking on the recruitment process into the police force and security forces, PPRO of the Kwara State police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said it is standard practice to try and find out where potential personnel are coming from and this is done through the requirements expected of them for screening and to weed them out along the line, if they succeeded in getting into the force.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with the process of recruitment (despite discovery of few bad eggs). There is background checking even to the point of medical status. However, after being enlisted into the service, bad eggs would have no hiding place because sooner than later such ones will be fished out. There are mechanisms to detect bad conduct,” Okasanmi stated.

The PPRO said the police expect every new entrant into the force to be of good conduct and behavior adding that the evidence of the expectations are expected to be presented in documents required from the applicants. He said, for instance, that the recruits are expected to bring and show letter of identification from their community or traditional ruler to show their native background. They are also to present criminal records from their local Divisional Police Officers.

“Among these requirements is letter of identification and origin from religious leaders and especially from the local government chairman of his or her area as referee to show record of personal background that would be attested to.

“As part of recruitment process for every intake is the verification of academic qualification that are presented for entrance into police. The process requires that we go online to verify authenticity of documents presented by the candidates to ensure that they are of noble character and good citizens,” Okasanmi said.

A former army officer who would not like to be identified blamed such criminal tendencies to ‘some powers that be’ who ensure that their people get enlisted without proper background checking and attestation to their characters.

“This country is a fraud. Many top officers from a particular section of this country bring in their own people without certificate, without some requirements. A particular police IG brought in thousands of people in a questionable manner. Why won’t we have criminals? Some people take bribe to ensure some people come into the force. These are the underlying currents of the problem. A security personnel should never be heard engaging in some of those things they were arrested for. Never.” he said.

As difficult as it is to know “the mind’s construction on the face,” quoting William Shakespeare, a closer check on potential personnel seeking employment into security agencies in the country cannot be underestimated. When security agents rob and extort the people they are supposed to protect and engage in economic sabotage, then there is actually cause for alarm.

—Additional stories from Johnson Babajide, Biola Azeez, Kola Oyelere and Lekan Olabulo.

The post When security officers turn criminals appeared first on Tribune.

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