THE POLICE, CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE LOST LOVE
The bomb blast in the car park of the Police headquarters and the spate of other detonations and murders of policemen are unacceptable affronts on the Nigerian people and nation. The ultimate design those behind these acts of terrorism is to undermine this nation and to inhibit the hope of transformation that we are nursing.
Their calculation is that if they can intimidate the individual policeman on his or her legitimate beat, then the country can be theirs to harass and enslave at will. But never again shall this nation be divided for the purpose of plunder. We must resolve to stand together against these faceless assailants of our rebranded democracy, the government, the police and the people as one. God being on our side, these dogs of hell and the evil men behind them will be unmasked and brought to justice.
When the chips are down, it is important to remember that if we feel unconcerned and the police is cowered. isolated and targeted, the people, not the police will be the ultimate victims. We must never forget that the police exist primarily for the protection of the citizenry and if they are undermined by bandits in any form, the peace and stability of everyone that is requisite for legitimate pursuits among men will crash.
While the superficial find it easier to see the police as that other quantity, it is prudent at this time to state the obvious- the police is made up of human beings who are our siblings, our friends, our neighbours- They are subjects to all the human frailties like fear, pain and discouragement. It is critical to stand in with them at this time and to encourage and acknowledge them. To see their travails as invariably our travails. And their triumph against this present darkness as our triumph. The people, the police and the powers that be can not afford to be we and them is this battle.
Senate President, David Mark was right on the mark when he stated in an instantaneous response to the attack that the criminal elements do not live on the moon but among us. The police need our vigilance and our commitment to feeding them with information for them to function well and apprehend those who are sworn to anarchy.
There is nothing brave, worth boasting about nor religious about these bombings. The mode of operation of these characters, lurking around looking to harm people who are employed to risk their lives to keep the nation in relative safety is cowardly and wicked.
Anyone claiming credit for these sneak attacks should be ashamed and I believe the Almighty God is ashamed of them. A Mammy market is like every other market, except that it operates in a military environment. Civilians mix with soldiers and even children are not excluded. Only a coward would go to such a place to detonate a bomb and there is no God known to man that can approve of such evil. Only a cold blooded and misguided coward would sneak around and shoot an innocent police man on guard duty in cold blood in the name of activism or fanaticism. There is no applause even among indecent men for driving a car with explosives to a car park and blasting an innocent traffic warden to death. At best, this is mere pointless desperation that does not endear Boko Haram to any sane person.
Whoever is behind the scene who unleashed these dogs to hound the police and other security operatives is an enemy of the people. Let no man be deceived, the enemy of the police is an enemy of the people. Whenever the eyes shed tears, the nose runs also. The police and the people are entwined. Whosoever aims a riffle at the heart of the police is ultimately directing that bullet at the soul of the people.
If anyone is hoarding information regarding these evils because the police is the apparent target, such individuals or group should review their understanding. The only thing standing between mankind and anarchy is law and order. The only invention that mankind has created for maintaining these precious factors for social well being is the police force.
No matter what misgivings you may have and whatever criticisms may be deep in your heart about these men and women who are so exposed because of their vocation, bandits, murderers and sociopaths can never be alternatives. We need to join hands with the police in this fight for the return to sanity, peace and legitimate pursuits.
Everywhere in the world, the effectiveness of the police force is dependent on the il}.formation made available for their investigation. The criminals and their masterminds live amongst us and they are of no long term value to us, for as long their long term. aspiration is to reverse society to that era long gone when life was brutish, short and nasty.
No doubt that there is some love lost between the people and the police.
The police has often been victims of cartoonists and other sl1;iggering art forms. They may not have been the police as we dreamt that they could be. But to be honest, all the institutions in this country have suffered a slide from the visions gone blurry we had at independence. That is the whole essence ofthe transformation presently in gear. This adversity may be the opportunity for the people to re-connect with the police they desire. Lefus invest now, some empathy, some concern for our shared humanity, whatever information we stumble on and let us come out of this battle in a victory we can all celebrate together as stakeholders.v