By Justin Akpovi-Esade
It was obviously not the first time that Delta policeman was wasting a human being in that gruesome manner. That was not a random act. His DPO, Area Commander cannot feign ignorance of his past deadly actions but if it may shock you, DPOs in stations where these kind of officers operate glorify them. Other officers speak of them in awe and respect in his presence and absence. He is their STAR BOY. They do body counts for him, talk about his successful kills of suspects, most of them, innocent. Officers like Usman ‘Ogbegbe’ are well known to the Police Commissioners in the states they operate.
This deadly impunity is condoned by the top hierarchy of the force. One suspect taken out of the street to an average Nigerian policeman makes the policemen safer, that is how the force men view these acts. It is no longer about keeping the society safe, it is about the POLICEMEN!
There was a Policeman like ‘Ogbegbe’ who was in Ughelli in the same Delta state, back in the day. He was a legend. Families run round the clock to get any of their loved one out on bail and on time, whether he was innocent or guilty of what he or she did, if it was that officer who made the arrest. His street name was ‘Egbe’ or so.
In fact, there were stories that he had on several occasions given some families a 24 or 48 hour ultimatum to come bail their wards or just forget him or her. And that would be the end of that person because Egbe also arrests anybody who came after the deadline. He was that powerful and untouchable and he was a junior personnel of the force, pampered by the the then Ughelli DPO because obviously he was the one bringing back the highest ‘returns’. Heard he was killed in action after years of terrorising everybody, criminals and innocents.
That was the dark era when there was no social media and if Obeserver, Daily Times or Sketch newspapers did not carry a news item, nobody gets to know about the incident.
As you read this, there are several ‘Egbes’ and ‘Ogbegbes’ in all the police divisions and command headquarters across Nigeria getting ready to go out on their shift to terrorise both the innocent and people suspected of a crime.
Around 2005, a policeman on roadblock assignment between the Ogun and Ondo states boundary told me boldly that he would shoot me dead anc NOTHING will happen. I was driving home to see my now late parents from Lagos. And what was my offence? I declined his request for a loaf of bread among the around 10 loaves on the back seat because of the arrogant and self entitled way he asked.
Immediately, he ordered me to come down and began to search everywhere in the car short of stripping the engine down. I was patient, because I knew he was sulking by my refusal to dash him one of the big loaves of bread. When he was unnecessarily delaying me after over 30 minutes, I challenged him and then a shouting match ensued. That was when he issued that chilling threat which by his facial expression, he meant. It was in the middle of nowhere, so, if we were alone, perhaps, he would have carried out his threat.
The leader of the team who was standing some distance away had to intervene and let me go even as the beast in uniform was still seething with rage.
The new iG of police, Mr. Disu cannot claim not to know of the existence of the ‘Egbes’ and ‘Ogbegbes’ in almost all the police formations across the country. If he wants to come out as a reformer, he knows what to do to clean house because he was a field officer almost all his career before now, so, he knew and even worked with these kinds of rogue officers on a personal basis.
*Journalist, public affairs commentator, Justin Akpovi-Esade writes from Asaba
