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Some Men of the Nigerian Police Force Are So Corrupt. Here's an Extract from The Punch.
Some mobile policemen threw caution to the wind in
Bayelsa State and beat a serving Navy officer to a
pulp over his refusal to offer them bribe.
The incident was said to have taken place during
the last Saturday’s monthly environmental
sanitation at Tombia in Yenagoa Local Government
Area of the state.
The mobile policemen were said to have mounted
checkpoint near the Tombia roundabout, allegedly
collecting bribes from motorists and commercial
tricycle operators.
An eyewitness, who did not want his name
mentioned for fear of reprisal, said the Navy officer
attached to the Central Naval Command, Yenagoa,
incurred the wrath of the policemen when they
(MOPOL) stopped the vehicle he was inside and
demanded bribe from the driver.
He said the Navy officer, who was in mufti,
identified himself and asked the policemen to let
them go.
He said as the Navy officer was explaining to the
policeman that stopped their vehicle, one of the
policemen came from nowhere and dealt a heavy
blow to the Navy officer.
He said the Navy officer, who was upset, alighted
from the vehicle and held the policeman that
punched him to explain what warranted his attack
on him after identifying himself.
The eyewitness said, “It was at that point that the
other mobile policemen, in solidarity with their
colleague, pounced on the Navy officer and beat him
to a pulp.
“As the beating was too much, some civilians who
witnessed the incident went to rescue the Navy
officer. Still they could not as the mobile policemen
threatened to shoot anybody that came near. They
threatened that they would deal with Navy officer
because he was challenging them.”
He said had it not for the arrival of the Bayelsa State
security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo, that came to the
place, the Navy officer would have been killed.
The eyewitness also said the Tombia community had
been looking for an adolescent boy whisked away by
the policemen after the incident.
A naval officer, who spoke to our correspondent on
condition of anonymity, said when the naval
command got the information, tempers of men and
officers rose.
He, however, said the police authorities, fearing the
incident could snowball into a reprisal, quickly sent
some ranking officers to apologise to the Navy.
The navy source said, “Where is the principle of
Espirit de corps? The officer identified himself and
instead of allowing him to go, you pounced on him
and beat him like a common criminal. This is an
unfortunate situation.
“You know this kind of situation could trigger
reprisal. Some of these policemen do not know there is
synergy among security agencies. Imagine the
MOPOL people going about telling people they were
going to kill all the Navy people they see. Can they
stand the Navy if we want to fight them?”
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