HUMAN RIGHTS: OF GODs, DEITIES, CULTISM AND THE NIGERIAN POLICE, MILITARY QUADRANGLE.
The relationship between the citizens of Nigeria, Nigerian police and the Nigerian military including Civil authority is a frosty engagement that has left all parties bitterly bruised. Notably, the bruising often take place at the point of interaction of these security forces with the public in an environment that is purely civilianised thereby leaving the Civil authority confused in respect of which action(s) to take to achieve remediation while avoiding controversy.
The writings of Sun Tzu a Chinese military strategist is very germane in fleshing out this 'bleeding sore' because his view reflects my understanding of the position that military organisation or security forces must be in relation to civil authority in a liberal democracy. Sun Tzu emphasises that military organisation/security forces must be in the service of constituted authority. Put differently Nigerian police and Nigerian military must be in the service of citizens of Nigeria and constitutionally recognised civil authority and not the reverse subordination that we witnessed daily on every street corners in major cities in Nigeria wherein human rights abuses committed by officers of these two important organs of government on citizens of Nigeria are exposed on social media and online newspapers with unimaginable frequencies.
I am not setting out a melodramatic narrative here if I proclaim that the gods and deities are at war with Nigerians, Nigerian police and the Nigerian military because of the fundamental antagonism and illiberal brutish attitude of these two organs of government that have decided to congregate with ESHU the god of cruelty. These are organizations with the responsibilities to protect, serve, and secure Nigeria and all tangibles and intangibles therein, instead they have resulted into violating our peace of mind, harmony and sense of justice.
Nigerians have been raped, disvirgined and brutalized by officers from these two organizations, pestilence of human rights abuses and the palpable fear of death on every street corners as a result of an unfortunate encounter with any police or military officers has created in the populace Zombism to the extent that parents and families are now having sleepless nights whenever words like police or military are mentioned.
The officers from the two organs of government mentioned above are now possessed with devilish cosmology of vengeance wherein cultism and night crawling are the newest canopies under which they disguise their human rights violations, or how do we clarify officers on extortion crusade with the connivance of commanding superior or District police officers who have become laws onto themselves judging by the epidemic of harassement and brutality witnessed recently from the stable of Nigerian police and Nigerian military officers without any strict punishment and prompt dismissal from service as consequences of misbehaviour.
How can a police officer charged a Lagosian for an offence related to night crawling when we are talking of a 24hour economy and Lagos mega metropolis, this barbarism makes me sometimes wonder why things are so bad and ugly with the unspeakable dastardly scenarios I have just narrated. Where are the protect, serve and secure sloganism of these two organs of government kept because we cannot see them in the demeanor of our officers rather they have become another organised constitutionally recognised terrorizing force.
Nigerians have become bloody civilian to be horsewhipped like in the days of slavery when the norms of good conduct and respect for humanity is an aberration. Our officers act with impunity and in an undignifying mannerism given justification to Amnesty International/ Human Rights Watch claims of human rights violation by security forces.
Despite the rush by security forces to deny these claims made by human rights organizations, events in the recent past in respect of civilians encounters with Nigerian police and the Nigerian military do not support such denials.
In conclusion the citizens of Nigeria are the pawn in this relationship of brutalization and absurdity wherein the Civil authority has lost effective control of two important organs of government meant to protect the public and national security within a liberal democratic framework.
OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE IS A PHILOSOPHER
TWITTER: @PEARL2PRINCE
The writings of Sun Tzu a Chinese military strategist is very germane in fleshing out this 'bleeding sore' because his view reflects my understanding of the position that military organisation or security forces must be in relation to civil authority in a liberal democracy. Sun Tzu emphasises that military organisation/security forces must be in the service of constituted authority. Put differently Nigerian police and Nigerian military must be in the service of citizens of Nigeria and constitutionally recognised civil authority and not the reverse subordination that we witnessed daily on every street corners in major cities in Nigeria wherein human rights abuses committed by officers of these two important organs of government on citizens of Nigeria are exposed on social media and online newspapers with unimaginable frequencies.
I am not setting out a melodramatic narrative here if I proclaim that the gods and deities are at war with Nigerians, Nigerian police and the Nigerian military because of the fundamental antagonism and illiberal brutish attitude of these two organs of government that have decided to congregate with ESHU the god of cruelty. These are organizations with the responsibilities to protect, serve, and secure Nigeria and all tangibles and intangibles therein, instead they have resulted into violating our peace of mind, harmony and sense of justice.
Nigerians have been raped, disvirgined and brutalized by officers from these two organizations, pestilence of human rights abuses and the palpable fear of death on every street corners as a result of an unfortunate encounter with any police or military officers has created in the populace Zombism to the extent that parents and families are now having sleepless nights whenever words like police or military are mentioned.
The officers from the two organs of government mentioned above are now possessed with devilish cosmology of vengeance wherein cultism and night crawling are the newest canopies under which they disguise their human rights violations, or how do we clarify officers on extortion crusade with the connivance of commanding superior or District police officers who have become laws onto themselves judging by the epidemic of harassement and brutality witnessed recently from the stable of Nigerian police and Nigerian military officers without any strict punishment and prompt dismissal from service as consequences of misbehaviour.
How can a police officer charged a Lagosian for an offence related to night crawling when we are talking of a 24hour economy and Lagos mega metropolis, this barbarism makes me sometimes wonder why things are so bad and ugly with the unspeakable dastardly scenarios I have just narrated. Where are the protect, serve and secure sloganism of these two organs of government kept because we cannot see them in the demeanor of our officers rather they have become another organised constitutionally recognised terrorizing force.
Nigerians have become bloody civilian to be horsewhipped like in the days of slavery when the norms of good conduct and respect for humanity is an aberration. Our officers act with impunity and in an undignifying mannerism given justification to Amnesty International/ Human Rights Watch claims of human rights violation by security forces.
Despite the rush by security forces to deny these claims made by human rights organizations, events in the recent past in respect of civilians encounters with Nigerian police and the Nigerian military do not support such denials.
In conclusion the citizens of Nigeria are the pawn in this relationship of brutalization and absurdity wherein the Civil authority has lost effective control of two important organs of government meant to protect the public and national security within a liberal democratic framework.
OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE IS A PHILOSOPHER
TWITTER: @PEARL2PRINCE
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