A Nigerian corporate lawyer and former Governorship Candidate, Natasha Hadiza Akpoti, Esq. has linked the aggressive nature of a typical Nigerian Police Officer to the misplacement of priorities in the Nigerian Police Act.
Akpoti traced the aggressive mindset of average personnel down to the poor arrangement of the stipulated duties of a police officer which she said translates to unwarranted suspicion and brutality of citizens as experienced by many Nigerians including herself.
In her statement, Akpoti said “while I was going through the police Act, I stumbled upon a very important point in part II section IV which stipulates the duties of a typical police officer. The first duty is to prevent and detect crime; the second duty is to apprehend offenders; the third is to preserve law and order; the forth is to protect lives and properties.”
Pointing out the misplacement of roles as enlisted, Akpoti said, “how can the protection of lives and properties which is the fundamental function of the police be listed as item four in his duties. And that is why what we have in a typical police officer is that aggression, trying to fight crime, suspecting every innocent citizen as a criminal. That is the fault.
“Protection of lives and properties should be the first. That is what we are talking about when we say #EndSARS and reform police. That section needs to be revisited. It is always about the first in time, priority is always important.”
Recalling her expirience of police brutality, she mentioned “I myself suffered greatly during my senatorial and governorship campaigns in the hands of those SARS men. They were involved in attacking oppositions which of course, I was in the opposition SDP. And apart from that, they were physically present to help rig elections in Kogi State.
“With several petitions I have written, not one police or SARS officer or member of the police was arrested.”
Natasha Akpoti was on channels television on Wednesday, October 28 to discuss the recent protests against SARS and police brutality where she made the above analysis about a typical Nigerian Police Officer.
