2 days Ago By Joy Anigbogu
Former Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, in this interview speaks on the killing of 16 hunters in Uromi area of Edo State, the need to train vigilante groups in weapon handling and respect for fundamental human rights, why the police should be adequately strengthened and equipped. The former Anambra State Commissioner of Police also advocates death penalty for kidnappers, among others. JOY ANIGBOGU brings he excerpts: security and particularly the role of vigilante groups, whether authorised or unauthorised, in maintaining security in any part of Nigeria at all? Everyone is in agreement that this is a tragedy that had better not happened, but has happened.
First, my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and indeed to Edo State and Mr. President, who at the end of the day is responsible for security in every part of Nigeria. Vigilante groups, in as much as they complement efforts of conventional security forces, also pose a risk if they are not properly regulated and controlled.
Basically, it is of utmost importance that those who function as vigilante groups in whatever guise receive basic training, both in weapon handling, if they have approval to hold weapons, and also in respect for fundamental human rights and the laws of the land. From my perspective, vigilante groups should function independently. At all material times, they ought to be under the control and coordination of the police.
This will check excesses and arbitrariness and impunity. It is a concern that a vigilante group will block a highway and conduct searches on vehicles conveying travelers. For whatever reason, that ought not to happen because the law does not confer them any such powers.
So, if they are doing anything like that to complement security in the environment, they must be under the supervision of the police. That is basic. Now, for such a thing to happen, it is not something that happened within 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or even 30 minutes.
It speaks to intelligence network. What are the sources of information to the police and other law enforcement agencies in the area? There are community leaders, there are religious leaders, there are people of goodwill who have contact of the police. The DPO, for example, must have his sources within the community.
The police cannot be everywhere, but their eyes can be everywhere. And when such a thing is happening, considering the impending disaster of people being brought down from vehicles, people being tied to tyres, somebody ought to have called the police. And if there is a good communication network and the police, a call should have been received and an emergency distress team dispatched to the scene to save the situation.
Apparently, this is not the case. And so, apart from the investigation aimed at identifying perpetrators, security architecture in the area must also be reviewed. There ought to be in place a mechanism preventing such tragedies.
And it all boils down to information. So, I am optimistic. Some might say that one of the biggest component of what happened was the fact that this group was carrying nine Dane guns.
Supposedly the locally fabricated that are used for the purpose of hunting. However and for those of you who may not be familiar, harbouring these guns is a red flag in itself. Now, do you think that we need to change, because the narrative hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I believe they are saying that they had permits to carry these guns, although I don’t know if those permits would allow you to carry a Dane gun from one part of the country to another country? Is it time to ensure we have a blanket law that says that nobody is to carry, no private individuals to carry firearms at all? Because some might say it’s because they had the guns that this escalated.
I do not think a blanket prohibition from carrying firearms will be the solution. But I am hopeful that the idea of transport across state boundaries is inimical to security. You mentioned that to the untrained eyes, those guns might pose a red flag.
That is the reason why those who engage in security duties ought to be trained. When they are trained, they will know which arms are prohibited and which ones are allowed. In many jurisdictions, Dane guns do not require license because it is for hunting.
But in hunting, it is not envisaged that they will travel far distances for such purposes. So, it might be a red flag to the untrained eye. Dane gun in such large numbers and moving in a vehicle, yes, it arouses suspicion.
But you see, the bottom line, if what they were carrying were AK-47 rifles, the law and the court has not delegated the authority to try, convict, and execute to anyone. Not even to law enforcement agents. If it was the police that intercepted them and they did not put up a fight, they did not open fire, they were arrested and the weapons seized, even if they were AK-47 rifles, the police had no power to extra-judicially execute them.
They must be arraigned before a court of law. So, red flag or yellow flag or by whatever colour is not an excuse or a justification for what has happened. So, education is important, training is important, but educate our people and all vigilante groups across the country.
You do not have power to take anybody’s life. And I think that should be broadcasted and be made clear to everyone. Extradition killing has no place in our country and we totally abhor it.
Absolutely. But let’s go back to the facts of the matter. 16 Dane guns.
What I know about hunting, and I’ve gone on a hunting expedition many times, you hunt in a bush in your locality. Correct me if I’m wrong, and I think you also said it, I’ve never heard of traveling many state lines to go and hunt somewhere. It’s normally around your locality.
So, where the role of the government is causing, prior to this time, there has been a constant repetitive action of kidnappers in Uromi. Uromi, around the Ubiaja area, up to keken, most of those axis have been inundated by cases of kidnapping. I know those axis because I traveled around there and I know.
And the governments have not done anything to stem the tide. Hence, even people now trust in the vigilante, because people trust in the vigilante that have now gone high handedness, that have now perpetrated this in a high handed way. It’s a reflection of the fact that the security services of the state have failed.
So, suppose those scenarios. Hunting, in a bush, 16 guns, and an area that was initially inundated by kidnappers. What should we have done better? And how, after those perpetrators have been brought to book, what should be done to stem the tide of kidnapping in all of these areas? You made a valid point.
16 Dane guns. But, let’s look at it from the other perspective. Kidnappers will not bundle themselves into a commercial bus and put their guns as cargo while traveling.
Basic interrogation, where are you coming from? Where are you going to do? We are coming from Port Harcourt, Elele. We are going to Kano for Sallah. So, what are you doing with these guns? We are hunters, we are going to hunt.
Even if the story is not credible, at least they have something to say and you could hear them. Hand them over for investigation to verify the claims. I am happy you have condemned the killings.
It is not justifiable. But, a tragedy has happened and we need to look at it vis-a-vis the previous happenings in that axis, kidnapping. But, I disagree with you when you said the government had done nothing.
If you go through the records, you will see the head of the security, the state security corps, retired CP Friday Badim, in the recent past, when they combed bushes around that area and arrested some people who were alleged to be kidnappers. Even though when I read the story and I heard that they were with Dane guns, as I said, these people are hunters, they are not kidnappers. But, let’s be frank, somebody who is carrying a Dane gun, even somebody who is a hunter, if he is predisposed to criminality, can kidnap if he has the opportunity.
Because, when a Dane gun is pointed at somebody, he or she will not say, it’s just a Dane gun. A gun that can kill an animal can also kill a human being. So, yes, in the circumstances, justifies and evidence abound that they are kidnappers, then they should be treated as such, but not through extrajudicial killing.
Instead, by proper arraignment before the court of law. I don’t just talk if I don’t know something. I have facts.
The government has not done anything to stem the tide. Forget the arrest and go into the bushes for optics. Let me read you one of the messages, “My hometown, Ubowa is constantly under siege.
Killing, raping and kidnaping. We don’t sleep with our eyes closed. We can’t even go to the farms any more.
Uromi-Ubuwa Road has become a no-go-area for kidnapping and killing and it is a daily occurrence, and this has not abated. No business activities are going on in those areas. Life is now hopeless, and as it stands still, it’s a daily occurrence.
So, apart from the bush and arresting some people, no, the real problem has not been solved. Yes, you said they have gone to the bush, they have arrested people, but the problem has not been solved. There was action, but there was no solution.
Maybe they’ve not done enough. Maybe they need to redouble their effort. These reports you get, it will be good if you forward them to the Commissioner of Police any time you receive them.
Because the one you receive and you don’t forward, people may have freer access to you than they have to the law enforcement. Now, I go back to the point I made about vigilante, all kinds of unauthorised security outfits. You were Commissioner in Anambra State before you retired.
Now, when you say that all these vigilante groups, all these security outfits, not authorized, showing up, it’s because the Nigerian police have failed Nigerians. And then both the state governments and also other people decide to take law into their own hands with a lot of impunity. If the Nigerian police itself was up and running, would this situation have been the case? What do you think is the problem? When you want to assess failure, you will have to weigh what is available against the responsibilities.
You have a country of 240 million people and a police force that is just 300,000. From that statistics alone, you know that a lot of areas will be uncovered. A huge segment of the population will be unpoliced.
That is one. Two, you look at what the logistics holding and the form of these security agencies are. Much is expected.
So when you want to assess failure, you need to assess what you have put in place and what empowerment is there for them to discharge their responsibilities. Then you weigh it against performance. It is then you can arrive at an objective conclusion.
So I think the Nigerian police is understaffed and underfunded, grossly so. We need to start looking at practical ways. Mr.
President has done something in that regard by giving approval for the recruitment, rapid recruitment of personnel to beef up the strength of the force. I hope that is followed by better equipment and funding so that the spread can be better, the training more qualitative, and equipment enable them to do more than they do currently. Technology is available to enhance performance.
If all these are deployed, I assure you performance will be much better. But coming to the press, you and I, we have a lot more to be done to enhance safety of life and property across the nation. Kidnapping is a menace in many jurisdictions, not just in Edo states and not just this occurrence.
In many states across the country, when kidnapping started in the Niger Delta way back when expatriates were the target for ransom, I warned. I said this thing that is starting and it’s against expatriates and the locals are clapping, eventually it will become a problem for the locals. We are there now.
Kidnapping has become a lucrative business. Deliberate actions need to be taken to stem the tide. If the death penalty is the punishment for armed robbery, taking somebody’s property by force, I see no reason why kidnapping of a human being should attract less than the death penalty.
So even though the world is running away from the death penalty and we are stepping away from it, we have a peculiar problem and only a strong deterrence can stem the tide. I advocate death penalty for kidnappers so that a strong warning will be sent to all that it is not just business, it is a deadly business. I also advocate that better synergy, communication, information sharing and intelligence sharing be promoted among various agencies.
It is disturbing that this incident happened at Uromi and while it lasted, there was no intervention, not from police, not from civil defense, not from any agency. That is a cause for concern. More so in an area where it has been pointed out that kidnapping has been rampant.
Definitely it calls for martial action and I hope the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, his area commanders and the DPOs will get back to the drawing board and give the people the quality protection they rightly deserve. And this is not a favour. I am sure the Inspector of Police will do something.
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