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“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.”
—Charles Kettering
By Cosmas Omegoh
Security is always on the wish list of millions of weary Nigerians eager to see a secured state. That expectation has not changed even now as the people trudge into the New Year.
Traumatised persons who drank the sour wine of insecurity to the dregs want the security agencies, particularly the police, to double down on their efforts at ensuring a safer environment.
A cross section of individuals who spoke recently, want the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to increase his speed, emphasising that the police did not win the battle against criminals in the outgoing year.
In case the police attempt to fight suggestions that they underperformed in 2024, the frightful and frightening data released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) last week will compel them to have a rethink.
NBS revelation said crime and criminality – particularly kidnapping – ravaged the country in the outgoing year.
NBS in its release revealed that a whopping N2.2 trillion was paid out as ransom between May 2023 and April 2024 by Nigerians desperate to free their loved ones from kidnappers.
The statistics contain devastating details of what Nigerians in each of the six regions paid.
NBS also said over 2.2 million kidnapping incidents happened during the period under review.
In spite of that, some persons conversant with security matters believe that the NBS figures were conservative, noting that the numbers are sure to be higher if all kidnapping and other crime-related incidents were captured and chronicled.
Sadly, the lamentable security challenges that birthed the figures happened even when the Nigerian Army was actively involved in security operations across the country.
Everything about the NBS numbers underscored the enormity of insecurity challenges Nigeria has had to deal with – a clear pointer to how far South things have fared.
Perhaps that informed President Bola Tinubu’s N8.97 trillion allocation to defence and security in his 2025 budget proposal.
It is Nigerians’ expectation that when the police receive their own share of the budgetary allocation, they will judiciously use it to fight the insecurity situation in the country.
It must be recalled that the mention of failures of the police often divide opinion.
A vast majority is inclined to believe that the agency has not lived up to expectations, and therefore, want to see it post stellar performance in the days ahead.
When Egbetokun himself was first appointed as Inspector General of Police on June 19, 2023, he raised expectations via his “I fell like a tiger” declaration, assuring that he was fully primed to chase away criminals in the land. But what has happened afterwards is a matter of conjecture.
Nevertheless, Nigerians want to see him succeed; his success means the people’s gain.
Indeed, the people want a safer country for everyone; they want to be free from fear and molestation. But for the police to achieve real success, they must start somewhere – and that spot is sitting down to look at themselves in the mirror.
Truth be told, a vast number of Nigerians like the Nigeria Police, but not some of its members’ acts.
The former’s reason is that many police personnel are often actively involved in practices contrary to their rules of engagement. Such bad eggs have continued to tarnish the image of the police with scandals of assorted hews, thereby destroying what is left of people’s confidence in the institution.
Therefore, Egbetokun owes the police and Nigerians a world of good if he could mount reforms that will clean and change the face of the institution under his watch.
Nigerians want to see him focus his sight on ensuring that his officers and men are tuned to achieve global best practices in policing.
First, the IGP needs to focus on engendering discipline. Those who have had ugly encounters with the police in the past still have grudges against the institution.
People are vehement that most police men and women have not learnt any lessons from the infamous #EndSARS ill wind that once blew.
The individuals so mentioned buttress their claims with allegations that many policemen are still riding roughshod over the citizens by harassing, intimidating, dehumanising, maltreating and mistreating the people they are paid to protect. This remains bad optics for the police.
Other Nigerians appalled by what the police sometimes do marvel at the quality of the curriculum run by the various police training institutions across the country.
To IGP Egbetokun, and the Police Service Commission (PSC), a revisit to what the police are taught is germane.
A training manual for the police that does not include disciple, respect for the people and their right to protest, rule of law and high ethical standard is bad enough.
If, therefore, Egbetokun fails to redirect those under him to imbibe the culture of excellence this New Year, would he blame any Nigerian believing that the country’s police system is standing on legs of clay?
But what great value will a well-trained police officer deliver if they are ill-motivated and poorly remunerated?
Oftentimes, neither the sight of the average police nor a visit to their barracks and offices inspires.
Most of them neither have good uniforms nor working tools as simple as paper and pen to write.
Sadly, the average police station does not have any service vehicle with which to respond to emergencies.
That leaves the citizenry wondering where previous allocations and even the one now captured in the current budget go to. Issues like this beg the question..
Going forward, therefore, Egbetokun must consider it top priority to deploy more technology in crime fighting, increase deployment of drones, tracking devices and tools that will place his staff steps ahead of criminals to make the police top notch.That is the new road to take.
A top-rated police service Nigerians will be proud of will be achieved if the staff are regularly sent overseas to learn the act of peak performance.
And what is more: Egbetokun needs to reconsider this whole idea of assigning thousands of police personnel to guard politicians and celebrities. Strident calls for their withdrawals and redeployment have been spurned over the years.
But Nigerians will not be tired of making the same demand. It is part of the deep-seated corruption the police helmsman needs to be seen fighting.
He will engrave his name in gold if under his watch in the New Year, the police are seen stopping extortion in whatever guise, shunning yielding themselves as hired men, and siding society’s highest bidders.
What about revisiting the police tactics of arresting suspects before investigations is commenced? That sounds archaic and perhaps falls miles off the global standard.
Nigerians will much more appreciate Egbetokun if under him, the police imbibe the culture of due diligence before heading out. When they leap before they look, what happens to the victims afterwards, some Nigerians keep asking.
To Egbetokun, therefore, Nigerians want to see old ways pass away. They want to see the beginning of the new. And the time is now!
