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One, the police population is very low compared to the population of the policed. Two, the police are not usually trusted. Three, the police are not usually feared by those who create security threats. Four, the police are not as trained and equipped as necessary. And Five, the police almost always engage in wrong activities like harassing members of the public, guarding VIPs and robbing innocent citizens of their money and property. I've heard someone say that, in his area, there could be as many as 80 policemen guarding 20 homes. And some years ago, the then IGP Solomon Arase stated that so many policemen/women were actually occupied with carrying bags around for VIPs. But he also played the hypocrite near the end of his tenure when he held the microphone for the president to read an address during an event. Eye service regime of course.
There are reports which claim that about 150,000 of our over 300,000 police personnel are occupied with guarding VIPs. Meanwhile, non-VIPs who really require police protection are being taken to the station and asked to bring N200,000 because they're wearing dreadlocks, carrying a laptop bag or having an iPhone. While the police are busy with all these activities, the Army are fighting insurgency in the North East, banditry in the North West, herdsmen in the Middle Belt, terrorism in the East, and militancy in the South. A lot of Army personnel are also involved in guarding VIPs and traditional rulers too. Sometimes, I see on the news that the Army Special Forces have arrested some petty amateur criminals and I shake my head in pity.
The Army does everything from arresting pickpockets to election security to riverine security and you have to ask, 'why have the rest of the 300,000+ policemen (that are not guarding VIPs) doing their job? Is it an order from above or a personal choice?
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