The peace of Lagos was recently threatened as some obviously aggrieved soldiers went on rampage along Ikorodu road, leaving behind wanton destructions, chaos and commotion. According to eye witness accounts, a soldier riding on a motor cycle was allegedly knocked down and killed by a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus along the BRT lane in the Ikorodu corridor. Characteristically, soldiers quickly rallied themselves to deal with the situation in their own way. As at the last count, about six BRT buses were reportedly destroyed by the rampaging soldiers while BRT operatives and passengers were given a dose of the soldiers’ bitter treatment. For hours, Ikorodu road and its axis caught a grim picture as all hell broke loose and consequently the area became a no go area for commuters and other residents.
The unfortunate Ikorodu road incidence has once again brought to public eye the recurring issue of gross disregard for law and order by a few members of the country’s armed forces. The issue of inapt behaviour among Nigeria’s security operatives has been a recurrent subject for quite some time. There have been quite some instances of a few security operatives behaving as if they are above the law. It is, for instance, a common sight in the country, especially in major cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano, to see security officers board commercial vehicles without paying fares. And if the driver or conductor has the gut to demand for fare, he could end up in an untimely grave or if he’s lucky in the hospital. Not a few Nigerians have been sent to their early graves through the dastardly activities of some of the country’s security operatives.
A few years ago, a secondary school student was killed somewhere at Agege, Lagos, through the accidental ‘discharge’ from the gun of a trigger happy policeman who had wanted to shoot at a commercial vehicle whose driver refused to part with the traditional ‘toll fee’. It was such a gory sight. Imagine the pain, emotional and mental damage done to the parents of the dead student who must have toiled over her. It will also be recalled how a certain Miss Uzoma Okere was brutalised by armed naval ratings attached to one Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade in a most dehumanising manner as she was stripped naked in the full glare of the public for daring to fight for her right in November, 2008. But for the intervention of the Lagos State Government through the court of law that secured judgment in favour of Uzoma Okere as the Court awarded the sum of N100, 000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) damages against the defendants, Okere would have suffered in vain, as it is always the case. The case is a land mark vindication of the rights of an innocent Nigerian against recurring assaults on innocent citizens by uniformed security officers.
It is difficult to understand why Nigerian uniformed security officers act the way they do. It is ironic that they take pleasure in brutalizing the very people whom they are paid and trained to protect and secure. Some have claimed that it is the rigorous training that they undergo that inculcate in them the ruthless and bestial mentality they display from time to time. This line of argument is rather feeble and as such cannot stand the test of apposite scrutiny. It is inconceivable that the authorities who design their training programmes input civil disobedience as a course in their curriculum. Perhaps, long years of military rule in the country have negatively affected the psyche of some of our security officials who have continued to view the so called ‘bloody civilians’ as inferior creatures.
For peace to reign in our society, it is vital that security officers imbibe the culture of civility in their interaction with members of the public. Just imagine what the society would look like if doctors, engineers, civil servants, teachers, journalists and other members of the society behave in similar loutish fashion. No groups in the society should, therefore, act in manners that suggest that they are above the law. There is, hence, an urgent need for the leadership of various security agencies in the country to step up the re-orientation of their members on how to behave in a civilized society. They need to re- define their role in a democracy. They need to understand the damage reprehensible acts by uniformed security personnel could cause the image of our dear country. They, therefore, need to be courteous and civil while dealing with members of the larger society. This is the minimum that is expected of them. It is not negotiable.
Years ago, some ‘unknown’ soldiers allegedly broke into the home of late Mrs. Funmilayo Ransom Kuti , mother of late Afro beat maestro, subsequently leaving behind sorrows, tears and blood. Till date, the perpetrators of the dastardly acts are yet to be apprehended. Plato and Aristotle were Greek philosophers who both developed important ideas about government and politics. Two of the many political subjects that these men wrote about were tyranny and the rule of law. According to them, tyranny occurs when absolute power is granted to a ruler or set of individuals. In a tyrannical setting, the ruler or a group of people become lawless and live above the law. The rule of law is the principle that no one is exempt from the law, even those who are in a position of power. The rule of law can serve as a safeguard against tyranny, because just laws ensure that no individual or group in a society is permitted to be above the law. No group or individual must be made to operate above the laws of the land. What it takes for evil to thrive in any society is for perpetrators of evil to go unpunished.
Security agencies are institutions that thrive on discipline across the world. Ours must not be an exception. Those that fall short of expectations should be shown the way out. There should not be no attempt to protect those that bring the image of the agencies into disrepute as this will send wrong signals among the ranks and file. Those military officers that recently disrupted the peace of Lagos must be fished out and brought to book to serve as deterrent to others. This is what is expected in any sane clime. This is what should happen!