NIGERIA POLICE AND IT'S BUSHWA: WITHOUT DETTOL ACCESS TO DETAINED PERSON(S) DENIED; MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I found it quite worthy to bring to public glare my experience yesterday's (Sunday) morning at the B' Division of the Nigeria Police Force domiciled in Otapeete in Owo Local Government. I went to the Police Station in company of a very good friend, Mr Bayegun Adelani.
Mr Adelani, whom our friendship dated back to our Secondary School days at the prestigious Federal Government College Ido-ani had come around for a wedding ceremony of one of his colleagues in his place of work. After the merriments that usually accompany such occassion, one of the drivers who had been assisting with movement of guests got involved in a minor road accident. We got a call early Sunday morning that the said driver had been in Police detention since the incident happened the evening before (Saturday's evening) Hence, this necessitated our visit to the B-Division Police Station.
On getting to the station, one of the Policemen who i guess is the Station Guard was sitting more than 25metres away from the main entrance of the Police Station. As we all know, most of the Police Stations in Nigerian do not have a gate or something close to a proper and befitting entrance. The Policeman (name withheld) started by asking unnecessary questions that are quite irrelevant to the course of perimeter policing. After scaling through the hurdles of his questioning section, he told us to go to the building housing the Counter desk. We thanked him anyway despite wasting about ten minutes of our precious time.
As we approach the door that leads to the counter, we met a fine male Officer, he was well dressed and sounded amiable, we exchange greetings before we finally walked to the counter desk. Right there at the counter, we met about four Police Officers (Names withheld), we greeted and explained to them we are in the station to see the detained driver. One of the officers jokingly told us to come back after church service, my friend (Adelani) responded telling him he's a Muslim. In his characteristic joking manner, the Policeman told him to go for NASFAT. At that point, i asked the Police Officer what if we are Ogun Worshippers and we don't go to either Church or NASFAT. We backed that up with the provision of Section 38 of the Nigeria constitution which guarantees every Nigerian the right to freedom of thoughts, conscience and religion. After we laughed over that, the Officer told us to sit down, that very soon, they will fetch the detained driver.
Shortly after, a woman walked into the station, she came to see one of her relatives who is in Police detention. I thought it was a joke when one of the Police officers at the counter told her to go and buy a dettol, the dettol is a basic pre-requisite to access anyone in detention in the said Police Station. The woman pleadings that she had no money on her fell on deaf ears and she had to leave the Police station disappointed without seeing her relative. I guess she went to look for money to buy dettol or so and she did not come back before we left the Station.
Moments after she left, we asked one of the Policewomen how much longer we have to wait before we can see the driver we came to check, i was amazed when she responded, saying the "buy a dettol before you see someone in detention" rule applies to us. I asked of the consequences if we fail to buy the dettol. I felt terribly bad when she said, one of us will have to go to the cell to see the detained driver, instead of bringing the detained person to the counter for us to see which is the norm. Within me, i thought it is a wrong idea to allow someone who is not a Police Officer into the area that accommodates the detention cell.
At that point, we were determined we will neither concur to extortion nor bow to intimidation, we decided one of us will go inside the cell to see the detained driver instead of buying dettol. We fully understood the implication of not buying dettol, one of us will have to go through the unpalatable experience of going to talk to the driver right their in the inhuman, malodorous, filthy and disgusting detention cell. Atleast, they did not send us out like they did to the woman that left earlier.
I quite appreciate the efforts of these Police Officers in keeping the detention cells clean either counterfeit or genuine but must they go about this wrongly and unlawfully? I understand high-level hygiene is needed to be maintained in places like a detention cells because of its high susceptibility, but it should not be done by exploiting the people. If anyone is willing to buy dettol, let it be voluntary and unconditional. I am not sure there is a law in Nigeria that says "You MUST buy a dettol for washing of the cells before you can see a detained person(s)". Also, i have note come across any law that says "Failure to BUY dettol for the washing of the cells automatically means you cannot see a detained person or as a tactical punishment, you will have to go to the cell to see the person(s)"
It is good to note that some of these Officers go about their duties diligently, tirelessly and assiduously despite the poor allocation of fund for the maintenance of facilities in the Police Station as is the case with most other Government institutions in Nigeria. Even at this, the Officers of the Nigeria Police Force must make it a sense of responsibility to live above board in the discharge of their duties. Extortion or Exploitation no matter how petty and whether for good or bad remain fundamentally criminal and its against the provisions of SERVICOM.
Olarewaju Olaniyi
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