The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Law Enforcement

  • FG’s infirm approach to law enforcement

    FG’s infirm approach to law enforcement

    Though law enforcement is a key driver of societal stability, the federal government has not always applied it proactively and imaginatively to stem the tide of indiscipline and chaos in the country. The Rivers state imbroglio could have been prevented if the law enforcement agencies had been diligent in carrying out their responsibilities. If a state of emergency was proclaimed, it was because anarchists took for granted the weakness or dithering of federal law enforcement agencies like the police and secret service.

    The Rivers political crisis, which culminated in the proclamation of a state of emergency, began with antagonists talking tough, armed with incendiary statements and threats of unleashing mayhem. The police engaged in handwringing at that stage. Then stories of impeachment began wafting across the state. There was of course little the law enforcement agents could do when it got to that point. But immediately the House of Assembly was torched, it was time for the security agencies to bare their fangs, especially because everyone seemed to know who did it or led the operation. In fact, names were mentioned.

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    But the police merely let it be known that they were looking for the culprits. Meanwhile the alleged masterminds were retrieved from public view and protected by the state government. Worse, one of them was rewarded with highly prized public appointment in the full view of law enforcement agents who saturated the Government House. Still no arrests were made. With such encompassing laxity, was it surprising that the Rivers crisis gradually worsened from 2023 to 2025 until a state of emergency was proclaimed? Reference the following proverb of unknown origin: “For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. It is time the federal government and its law enforcement agencies applied themselves diligently to their work. As the Rivers crisis and those who call for coup or revolution have shown, the consequences of pussyfooting are hard to quantify.

  • Curbing rivalry among law enforcement agencies

    Curbing rivalry among law enforcement agencies

    The recent public fight between personnel of the Director of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) has reignited the debate over the unending rivalry among law enforcement agencies. This undermines the nation’s capability to confront its increasing security challenges. In this report by ERIC IKHILAE, lawyers urge the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to consider this matter with utmost importance.

    Nigerians were, again, presented with an unsavoury spectre on July 25, when armed personnel of two law enforcement agencies trampled on every sense of civility, engaged in a public fight in a mundane struggle over who should take custody of a supposed privileged defendant.

    The suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who had been in the custody of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) for weeks, was taken before the Federal High Court in Lagos for arraignment on a charge of unlawful arms possession.

    Having denied the charge by pleading not guilty, the trial judge, Nicholas Oweibo, admitted him to conditional bail and ordered his remand in a correctional facility until he was able to perfect the bail so granted.

    In the ensuing struggle over which agency should take custody of the defendant, armed personnel of the DSS and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) fought dirty in public, leading to a senior NCS official sustaining injuries and having his uniform torn.

    To many Nigerians, the incident was strange, because the issue of inter-agency rivalry/conflict among the nation’s security and law enforcement agencies has, over the years, constituted an item in the bouquet of troubles the Nigerian system has borne over time.

    There is virtually no security agency that has not engaged violently clashed with another, particularly since the restoration of democratic governance in 1999.

    However, the trouble now is that it has assumed a frightening proportion given its frequency and the unwillingness of the relevant authorities to take the necessary steps to rein in these unruly state agents.

    DSS, EFCC wash dirty linen in public

    On May 30, it took an order from President Bola Tinubu for the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to vacate the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at No. 15 Awolowo Way, Ikoyi.

    Armed DSS operatives stormed the premises and barricaded it against EFCC personnel, preventing them from accessing their workplace.

    Gunshots were also heard in the area

    The DSS claimed ownership of the buildings occupied by the EFCC on the premises.

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    But Tinubu, in a statement by his media aide Tunde Rahman, directed the DSS to quit the EFCC’s offices.

    “The President said if there were issues between the two important agencies of government, they would be resolved amicably,” the short statement read.

    The premises, originally exclusively used by the DSS, have been shared by both agencies since the EFCC’s establishment by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.

    But there had been silent disputes between both agencies over occupancy rights.

    The Nation gathered that there had been unsuccessful talks over the years between both agencies over resolving the dispute.

    It was learnt that some DSS officials arrived at the premises on Monday, May 29, and parked their vehicles on the road leading to the anti-graft agency’s office.

    EFCC personnel were unbothered and went about their work normally thinking the DSS operatives were there on routine security duty during the swearing-in of President Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    After EFCC officials closed for the day, the DSS men moved onto the premises with their vehicles and two armoured personnel carriers (APC).

    They barred EFCC staff from gaining access to the premises when they resumed work.

    At about 1:20pm, shots were fired from within the barricaded premises taken over by the DSS.

    The Nation reports that the shots were fired just as journalists from the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) approached the locked gate of the premises to get close-up shots.

    The shots appeared to have been fired in the air as a warning.

    None of the journalists and EFCC operatives hanging around outside was hurt.

    The EFCC confirmed the incident and condemned the barricade at its largest hub.

    It described the development as “strange,” adding that the lockout affected the Commission’s operations with over 500 personnel, hundreds of critical exhibits, and many suspects in detention.

    EFCC Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that the siege meant suspects in detention were left without care.

    The agency said its cases scheduled for hearing in court in Lagos on  Tuesday were aborted, while many suspects that it invited for questioning could not be attended to.

    The Nation reports that EFCC lawyers were absent from the Federal High Court in Lagos, as they could not gain access to their case files at the Lagos office.

    The EFCC statement reads in part: “This development is strange to the Commission given that we have cohabited with the DSS in that facility for 20 years without incident.

    “By denying operatives access to their offices, the Commission’s operations at its largest hub with over 500 personnel, hundreds of exhibits, and many suspects in detention have been disrupted.

    “Cases scheduled for court hearing have been aborted, while many suspects who had been invited for questioning are left unattended.

    “Even more alarming is that suspects in detention are left without care with grave implications for their rights as inmates.

    “All of these have wider implications for the nation’s fight against economic and financial crimes.”

    But the DSS, despite picture and video evidence, denied barring EFCC personnel.

    Its spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said in a statement that the building belonged to his agency, adding that the DSS was never in a fight with the EFCC.

    His words: “It is not correct that the DSS barricaded EFCC from entering its office. No. It is not true. The Service is only occupying its own facility where it is carrying out its official and statutory responsibility.

    “By the way, there is no controversy over No 15A Awolowo Road as being insinuated by the Media. Did the EFCC tell you it is contesting the ownership of the building? I will be surprised if it is contesting the ownership. Awolowo Road was NSO headquarters. SSS/DSS started from there. It is common knowledge. It is a historical fact. Check it out.

    “There is no rivalry between the Service and the EFCC over and about anything. Please do not create any imaginary ones. They are great partners working for the good of the nation. Dismiss any falsehood of a fight.”

    Previous cases

    In 2017, the nation witnessed the open disagreement and the subsequent back and forth between the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the cash – $43 million, £27,000 and N23 million – the EFCC claimed to have found in a flat on Osborne Road in Ikoyi in April 2017.

    In May 2011, soldiers from 242 Recce Battalion, Ibereko Barracks, Badagry, in Lagos State launched reprisal attacks on police officers, attached to Badagry Police Division, killing the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), and about eight other officers in retaliation for the shooting of an army officer by some police personnel at a checkpoint.

    In October 2005, soldiers from Abalti Barracks in Ojuelegba, Lagos unleashed a reprisal attack on police officers at the Area ‘C’ Police Command Headquarters, Ojuelegba, killing three people, burning down buildings, while over 50 vehicles were damaged.

    The attack by the soldiers was said to have been triggered by an alleged assault on a senior army officer by some police personnel who were protesting an earlier interference by two army officers, who resisted their (policemen’s) attempt to extort money from a driver of a commercial bus in which they (the soldiers) were passengers.

    Possible causes

    According to law experts, the recurring incidents of clashes between law enforcement agencies is not only an aberration and embarrassing, it negates the spirit of the provisions of Paragraphs 25 and 26 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution, which created the National Security Council which comprises heads of security agencies among others.

    A lawyer, Daniel Makolo, attributed it to the increasing disregard of professional ethics and institutional code of conduct, which result from waning professionalism among officers and men of the nation’s law enforcement agencies.

    There is also the issue of the failure of the various disciplinary mechanisms, where they exist, he added.

    And, as Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) noted, poverty, resulting in poor remuneration also contributes to cases of undue struggle for perceived opportunities as presented in the Emefiele case.

    Prof Akinseye-George noted that the reason behind the SSS insisting on keeping Emefiele was because they saw him as an important detainee, who would bring a lot of benefits.

    “That is an embarrassment. That means you have a special category of detainees and those who are not so special. The special ones enjoy special protection and favour.”

    Scope, impact

    According to observers, the problem revolves around the increasing blurring of boundaries of responsibilities, mutual distrust and suspicion, unhealthy competition, poor role delineation and general disinterest among these agencies.

    Akinseye-George, who is the President of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), spoke along this line when he said: “Let us draw boundaries. Let us know who is to do what.”

    Observers noted that the impact of inter-agencies rivalry has deeply permeated the system, with the capacity to jeopardise the nation’s potential to more effectively and efficiently tackle the menace of insecurity and criminalities in the country, if left unattended to.

    They added that beyond weakening the system, it also can erode what used to be a vibrant commitment to esprit de corps, a principle that promotes team spirit among security personnel.

    Possible solutions

    Akinseye-George, Femi Falana (SAN) and Kingdom Okere called for the need to entrench discipline, insist on compliance with professional ethics and rules, and promote activities aimed at enhancing inter-agency relationships and the need for improved welfare for personnel.

    Akinseye-George said “The open confrontation between government agencies is uncalled for. It is necessary for the administration and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to take charge.

    With reference to the Emefiele case, Akinseye-George added: “We need to look at the working conditions of our officials so that they don’t have to depend on people in their custody to be able to live well.

    “We need to motivate our personnel. A situation where they have to fight in public is uncalled for. It is unprofessional.

    “We need to look at the entire law enforcement paraphernalia of this country. Our number one challenge is to enforce our laws effectively. I believe this administration will look into this,” he said.

    Falana who frowned at the conduct of the SSS operatives in the Emefiele case, argued that given the position of President Tinubu that inter-agency rivalry would not be permitted under his administration, those who attacked officials of the Ikoyi NCS on premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos ought to be fished out and sanctioned.

    He added: “All public officers should draw the necessary lessons from the current travails of Mr. Emefiele. As Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he recklessly displayed arrogance and impunity by disobeying the orders of several courts, including the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”

    A member of a group, Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LIDD), Kingdom Okere said: “What played out in the Emefiele case is unacceptable,” adding that SSS officials involved, including the agency’s Director General Yusuf Bichi, who may have directed the operatives act in disregard to court’s order, “needs to be arrested and sent to prison.”

    “The secret police has made a habit of continuously disrespecting the rule of law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should save democracy and the image of the judiciary by immediately ordering the arrest of DSS DG.”

  • Election postponement: Security personnel suffer more — Experts

    Law enforcement agents were at the receiving end of the sudden postponement of the February 16 Presidential and National Assembly elections, according to security experts.

    The experts told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Lagos that security personnel deployed to various places outside their base ahead of the shifted polls were affected negatively.

    According to the experts, personnel deployed on election duty may have exhusted their allowances, wondering how they will cope during the additional days on the field.

    A retired Deputy Inspector-General of People (DIG), Marvel Akpoyibo, described the postponement as sabotage, stressing that the time and money lost would have been avoided if INEC had postponed the elections three days earlier.

    He said the security personnel were at the receiving end of the postponement, noting that many were deployed outside their bases, thereby spending more money and time before elections days.

    “I am not a politician but as a Nigerian, it is unacceptable to me. If it is in another clime, the INEC Chairman would be arrested. It is a sabotage.

    “The security personnel deployed are at the receiving end, would they be given another allowance. Look at the NYSC members posted to various places, wasting money and time. It is most unfortunate,” he said.

    Another security expert, Roy Okhidievbie, said although INEC might have taken unpopular decision of postponement, saying that might be the only option to the commission before elections.

    Ohkidievbie noted, however, that the postponement might have disorganised security agencies’ strategies which would force them to re-strategise against the new election date.

    He said that the postponement had also affected the politicians financially and strategically, stressing that the foiled exercise had exposed some of their evil intentions.

    The expert said that it was better to postpone than to do it shabbily, stressing that the postponement had, once again, exposed our inability to be proactive and professional in handling responsibilities.

    He noted that both major political parties and their followers have perfected legal and illegal strategies to win the elections on Saturday.

    “One of the strongest weapons against crime is surprise. I am sure the illegal plans would have lost the effectiveness of a successful execution.

    “I want to advise security agencies to review to plan B if they have one because the plans deployed on Saturday are already exposed.

    “This will definitely reduce the number of voters due to the cost and risk of repositioning themselves to be able to vote again. Many will loose interest in the system.
    “The government can afford to even borrow money for the logistics to meet the new dates, but who bears the cost on the part of the citizens and pay back their money spent to prepare to vote?
    “Who compensates the masses of electorate for their losses in business closures. The contestants that had slim budgets and pushed to be recognized by expending all they could muster, what is their plight now,” he queried. (NAN)

  • Law enforcement and road safety

    Without doubt, the rate of traffic law enforcement in Nigeria is very low. Another disturbing trend is the wrong form of enforcement.

    Sometime ago, I boarded a taxi in Abuja and as we proceded, a man suddenly passed and crossed the taxi with his car and ordered the driver to come out. Like a film, I was watching the scene. I knew quite right that it cannot be an armed robbery case with the level of security in that part of Abuja.

    The man then drew my attention to the plate number at the back of the taxi. It was part of a telephone number. He moved to the front of the taxi, there was no single number. After a brief interrogation, the taxi driver brought out a document from one of the FCT Area Council where it was clearly written that the plate numbers of the taxi were removed till the driver settles the bill for the offence he committed.

    The question now is, how can the taxi be identified if he commits any offence without plate numbers? Such mode of law enforcement will only succeed in promoting criminality.Drivers know that they cannot be identified, thus they could be more aggressive in their driving.

    Today, there are many motorcycles moving around without plate numbers. If CCTV cameras are even installed, how many vital information will they pick without the plate numbers of vehicles?

    Law enforcement and traffic management officers should stop  removing the plate numbers of vehicles as punishment.They should also desist from pursuing drivers on the road in a bid to arrest them. Struggling to take over the control of a vehicle or removing the key of a vehicle in motion should be stopped forthwith.These and allied enforcement habits do create more problems than they are trying to solve.

    The Federal Road Safety Commission and the state governments (including FCT) should look into the need to institutionalise the use of vehicle plate numbers with chips compatible with CCTV camera and other security apparatus. This will ensure effective traffic law enforcement without causing safety and security risks.

  • Adeboye to Nigerians: help law enforcement agents to defeat terrorists

    Adeboye to Nigerians: help law enforcement agents to defeat terrorists

    The General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has urged Nigerians to support  and cooperate with law enforcement agents to ensure lasting peace.

    Pastor Adeboye spoke yesterday at the ‘Let’s Go a fishing’ programme organised by the RCCG, Region One held at the CMD field, Magodo, Lagos mainland.

    The programme brought together thousands of Christian faithful from across Lagos. It featured thanksgiving, bible teaching and prophetic ministration.

    According to him, the success achieved by the military in tackling insurgency in part of the country is commendable and can be sustained through intelligence gathering mechanism put in place by security operatives .

    Pastor Adeboye said  Boko Haram insurgency was an internal insecurity problem that can be curtailed through a transparent partnership arrangement between the local people and the security operative.

    He said: “Let us do our best to cooperate with law enforcement agencies  by volunteering vital information that would be investigated upon and crime and any form of criminality will be reduce in our society”.

    He urged Nigerians to “harmonise our cultural, tribal and religious differences and ensure adequate security of lives and properties is very germane for our wellbeing”.

    Pastor Adeboye, who spoke through the Provincial Pastor of Lagos Province 12, Pastor Ola Adejubee, asserted that peace is the desire of any good citizens in any nation, but can be sustained through the channel of the holy ghost, repentance from evil and pleasing God at all times.

    He lamented that many people are religious but they live their lives at variance with God’s words and expect to have peace, said “we must play our part by repenting of our sines and live a life that pleases God”.

    He cited King Solomon who throughout his kingship never fought a battle, “Jesus is the prince of peace and he has the ability to reinforce peace when we do his will,” he said.

    The wife of the Regional Pastor of Lagos Province 1 of RCCG, Pastor Rachel Odesola, appealed to individuals being persecuted for their faith to take solace in Christ “who is our rock, defender buckler and shield”.

  • Govt sets Oct 15 as horn-free day

    Can you imagine a day in Lagos without the jarring din from  horning automobiles ranging from bicycles, tricycles and other types of vehicles? Impossible? Not exactly anymore, as the Lagos State Government has concluded plans to set a date aside to be observed as a horn free day yearly.

    The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa, who made this known in his Alausa, Ikeja office said the government has approved Wednesday, October 15, as horn free day in the state.

    Opeifa said the day would help reduce noise pollution. He said motorists would be encouraged to stop blaring their horn throughout the day. Hopefully the habit would linger and gradually a horn free consciousness would sprout.

    He urged motorists to support the government in ensuring a reduction in noise pollution through strict adherence to the exercise.

    “The observance of  the day would help in instilling road discipline on motorists and help in the cultivation of the right use of the horn. It would also improve road courtesy and lane discipline and draw motorists’ attention to the need for mutual respect for other road users,” Opeifa said.

    He said Governor Babatunde Fashola has approved the plan as part of his continued advocacy for improved road discipline and courtesy among motorists.

    “Governor Fashola has challenged road users in the state to observe a horn free day and this is designed to complement the on-going efforts by the Lagos State Government in the provision and upgrading of traffic infrastructure across the state,” he added.

    He said the government would seek the active engagement of radio and television stations in generating discussions challenging road users to observe a horn free day, endorsement of the initiative by relevant stakeholders.

    Other platforms that would be used to sensitise the people, he added, are the ‘Ember’ months safety campaign by Vehicle Inspection Service, (VIS), to enlighten road users on road safety, especially during the last quarter of the year and the Law Enforcement Training Institute’s (LETI) community outreach programme which involves market women and vehicle operators.  These fora, Opeifa said, would provide avenue for discussion of the horn free culture among motorists.

    Opeifa said the Traffic Safety Ambassadors (TSA) would also be engaged to partner with the Ministry of Transportation to support the successful observation of the horn free culture beyind the day.