ARSON BY NIGERIAN POLICE

By Chidi Aloysius Nwosu (Abia Writers)

Edited and published by Joseph Afokwalam

The police is a body of officials representing the civil authority of government. Some of the functions of the police are policing and maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, preventing, detecting and investigating criminal activities. The civil society is the innocent and unarmed inhabitants of a particular geographical area. Carnage, on the other hand, is the violent killing of a large number of people.

In a recent incident in Omosu/Ibere side of Aba in Abia state, there was police brutality on innocent people and torching of private houses and other properties of persons living around the area mentioned above. Abia Writers crew was at the scene to ascertain the remote and immediate cause of the police brutality and torching of houses around the place. Abia Writers crew interviewed some eyewitnesses and inhabitants of the area, who pleaded for anonymity. 

After the interviews, we assessed, compiled and found out that all of them were reporting the same on the ordeal. In summary of all the reports, there was a misunderstanding between armed police officers and two individuals who did not allow the police officers to extort them as the police usually do around the area. The disagreement escalated to the extent that there were gunshots, and a policeman died. 

In this part of the country, when such incidents happen, the police will come for the heads of innocent people living in the area. So the inhabitants moved massively out of the area for fear of being molested, brutalized or killed. The police eventually came on the next day, which happened to be Independence Day. On reaching there, the police found out that people have moved out, leaving only the aged. The heavily armed policemen started molesting, beating and arresting the elderly people left behind. It did not end there; the police started torching all the houses and shops around the area. As at the time of our visit,  they burnt twenty houses.

Now, it comes to question the function of the police in a democratic government. The police are to protect, maintain and enforce the law, but Nigerian police were killing and molesting people, torching houses and properties of people they are supposed to protect. The country, Nigeria, is repeatedly committing crimes against humanity and with impunity. We are urging the international community to come to our aid as the government of Nigeria is terrorizing the people with her security apparatuses.