During the week, online newspaper, TheCable published an expose on the rot and other shady deals that take place at police stations.

Although they zeroed in on a particular police station in Lagos, however, what they exposed is what is happing at the various other police stations dotted across the length and breadth of this country.

In the story, captioned: UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION (I): Bribery, bail for sale Lagos police station where innocent civilians are held and criminals are recycled, TheCable wrote in their intro to the piece: Investigative journalist FISAYO SOYOMBO spent two weeks in detention five days in a Police cell and eight as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison to track corruption in Nigerias criminal justice system, beginning from the moment of arrest by the Police to the point of release from prison.

To experience the workings of the system in its raw state, Soyombo adopting the pseudonym Ojo Olajumoke feigned an offence for which he was arrested and detained in police custody; arraigned in court and eventually remanded in Prisonhe uncovers how the Police pervert the course of justice in their quest for ill-gotten money.

TheCable then goes on to give a vivid account of what transpires at the Pedro Police Station and even Ikoyi Prison through the first-hand experience of their undercover reporter.

In one instance, Ojo Olajumoke wrote: The complainant was already registering the case with a policewoman by the time we returned, and soon after they were haggling over the fees. Chigozie Odo, the policewoman, had rejected his offer of N500. After some five minutes of talking, he handed her a N1, 000 note.

Odo stripped me of my shirt, singlet, belt, wristwatch, shoes and cash. Look at his hair; na you gangan be Ruggedy Baba, she said as she unlocked the cell and bundled me in.

This report was only published during the week, but sadly, I can point out that this has been the pattern for decades; because I have also personally experienced it.

In my own case, it was not an attempt to expose the rot through fine investigative reporting, but rather I was a forced participant because a then military governor wanted to deal with my then medium, The Guardian.

I have actually written the story before in a piece I titled How Champions League landed me in Kirikiri Prison, which I wrote to commemorate the 25th year that I and three other colleagues, Bayo Oguntimehin, Taiwo Akerele and Ben Akparanta (now late) were hounded into detention for about 16 days, first at Alausa Police Station and then Motor Traffic Division (MTD), both in Ikeja, Lagos, before ending up in Kirikiri Medium Prisons, just because the then governor Col, Raji Rasaki (rtd) had some bones to pick with the flagship over The Guardians critical position on some of his actions as governor of Lagos.

Our ordeal began on May 29, 1991 when the then governor made his move leading to the closure of The Guardian by the state government.

At both Alausa and MTD, we witnessed first-hand how the police who claim to be our friends interact with those who come to the station to either lodge complaints or are brought in for allegedly committing and offence.

They (police officers) were mostly unfriendly towards such people and more often than not were ready to either bend the law or dish out favours following the receipt of some form of gratification.

For instance, on the first night of our detention after our management had spoken to the officers on duty, we were not immediately shoved into the detention cells with other suspects.

Instead, we were kept outside until about midnight before we were told we had to be put into the cell because it was against the law to allow suspects spend a whole night outside the holding bay.

But of course, before sending us into the cell, they (police) had spoken to the president to ensure that we (journalists) were not given the traditional welcoming which is often a severe beating.

And just like Ojo Olajumoke wrote, I still recall having to remove my belt, watch and other valuables on me and when I jokingly asked what would happen should my trousers not stay up without a belt, I was told if that be the case, then I would have to hold my sokoto because I could not enter the cell with a belt so that I dont use it to commit suicide or as a weapon!

Those in the holding cells were a sorry sight to behold with many of them complaining that they had been thrown in on trumped up charges and would only regain their freedoms as soon as they settled.

Many of them were brought in for wandering, which was then an offence that the police exploited very well in apprehending people.

Although it is often said lightening does not strike twice, however, I have been an exception; and six years after my Kirikiri trip, I was again a forced guest of the police, after I and my two other co-tenants were arrested for armed robbery and gun running.

Incidentally, I had just arrived in the country from Egypt, where I had gone to cover the FIFA U17 World Cup when this fresh incident occurred.

This time we were lodged at the Adeniji Adele Police Station, while we battled to extradite ourselves from the case, which if not properly handled could see me face the death penalty.

Sadly, during the course of our investigation, we were told by our fellow detainees, that we had actually been setup by one of our fellow tenants, who was the only one not with us in detention.

We were told that he (the tenant) had come to the police that he could make money for them by writing a petition that he knew of some armed robbery suspects who once caught would be ready to cough up money in order to free themselves and it was this money that they (the tenant and police) would share.

Unfortunately in the end, the police doubled crossed him on the grounds that the money they made was not as much as he had claimed they would make.

Both stories were subsequently written, but here more than two decades after, we are reading the same story all over a clear indication that absolutely nothing had changed!

And this sadly is one of the biggest problems we face in this country failure to tackle issues head on in order to improve as a nation.

Instead we will all complain about poor governance and yet still vote for the same people that are the hindrance to the nation having decent governance.

At the end of the day, the path to a decent society lies with us as a people, who must then decide once and for all that enough is enough and we are now ready for real change and not just mouth change.

Unless this happens, I can bet that two decades down the line another Ojo Olajumoke will write another expose on virtually the same issue.

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See the rest here:
When the hair falls off - New Telegraph Newspaper

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