THE GHOST OF OYERINDE OLAITAN AND THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE

Comrade Adams Oshiomole

I was moved yesterday, as I always am when I happen upon the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomole giving a speech. I leave whatever it is I'm doing immediately and sit in front of my TV set, glued to his purposeful gestures that complement his confident and fearless demeanor accompanied by such vocal eloquence delivered with passion and unshakable authority. It invariably almost always turns into a masterpiece of an oratory.

The slain Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde

I was particularly moved yesterday and once again, further convinced that Nigeria could do with a president like Adams Oshiomole, when he openly and fearlessly castigated the unbelievable but well-known incompetence of the Nigerian Police Force. Adams Oshiomole without mincing words expressed his displeasure at the incompetence and unprofessional manner in which an innocent civil rights activist, Rev. David Ugolor, was wrongly arrested and detained for two months without trial, in defiance of a court order over the gruesome murder of his personal secretary, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, who was shot dead at his residence on the 4th of May, 2012 in Benin City by suspected assassins. 

He made this known on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at the launch of the Code of Conduct and Professional Standard for officers and men of the Nigeria Police at the International Conference Centre in Abuja which was well attended by the Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo who represented President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and top brass officials of the Nigerian Police Force.

Adams Oshiomole called for the dismissal of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Peter Gana, who supervised the investigation for bungling the investigation into Oyerinde's murder and further added that the police either had a hand in the death of Oyerinde or were shielding his murderers. In Oshiomole's words:

"I am aggrieved over the murder of my Private Secretary and the way in which it was trivialised."
"My secretary was murdered in cold blood and you dispatched a DIG to supervise that investigation."
"They came to Benin and they did what Fela (Ransome-Kuti) would have called police magic."
"The DIG Force CID has a case to answer. It is either he is guilty of conspiracy to murder or is guilty of conspiracy to shield murderers or both. Whatever be the case, he cannot continue to wear his police uniform. He must be dismissed,"
"At the end, they went for a civil rights activist and charged him for the offence of murder."
"If I, as a governor cannot get justice over the murder of my private secretary, what will happen to the anonymous Nigerian?"

This last statement was what struck a cord within me as food for thought. Apparently, being a highly placed representative in government does not shield one from the inadequacies of an incompetent police force. How much more the anonymous Nigerian, as pointed by Oshiomole, who lost a child, husband or wife to brutal and senseless violence which have become rather frequent in recent times because of the all too common inability of the Nigerian Police Force to effectively carry out proper investigations?

In response the Oshiomole's allegations, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar described the Governor's accusation as unfounded, adding that the police authority will "respond to the claim appropriately". He said this on Friday in Abuja at a meeting with senior officers to discuss the new Code of Conduct for the Nigeria Police.

IGP, Mohammed Abubakar

However, fresh facts reveal that Adams Oshiomole has threatened to publish the police report on the investigation should the IG continue to deny any malfeasance on the part of the DIG, Force CID. Now, this is persistence! I highly commend the Edo State governor for the dogged manner in which he has hounded the IG of Police in this matter. Hopefully, something good will come out of it and will inspire a general change in the casual attitude with which such matters are handled.




Malcolm O. Ifi.

Engage on twitter @saymalcolm

Photo Credits: The Internet.