It is no longer abnormal for a man to hug his friend and the same time stabbing him at the back as this has become the case with the Nigerian Police Force and the citizens they are suppose to protect. They have suddenly becomes our enemy knowingly or unknowingly killing innocent and harm less citizens under the cloak of accidental discharge across the federation.

The Nigerian police force has lost her integrity in the eyes of the people they tend to protect. They have succeeded in instilling fear and terror in the heart of those they are to protect, as people now need to be protected from the illegal arts of the present day police. This depicts a picture of ironic security function as the trademark for some of them now is to harass law abiding and innocent individuals who are about their normal day-to-day business. Or even when they receive a distress call, it is either they delay response or no response at all. This problem began with the compulsory tax collection of N20 from motorist who has no option other than to pay or else bare the consequences at not paying that fee. Gone are those days when shame and integrity make them do this in secrete but now, its an open show without shame or fear and no individual can dare them or one would receive a death gift from these trigger happy policemen. And the corpse will be accused for an imaginary criminal offence.

This vice has increased into a new dimension of accidental discharge, as the collection of bribe has become a norm in the society, and also executed with impunity. The issue now is the recent killing of innocent people by the police especially Edo State.

According to media reports of June 2006, it was stated that the police force created tension in Onitsha, Anambra State as one other corps killed a 22 year old girl by an accidental discharge owing to the fact that she refused to donate the N20 compulsory fee with a commercial motorcyclist at Feggae. This was also the case of a taxi driver in Oghogbo, Osun State who died due to careless handling of a gun boy a policeman whose cocked gun fired after an accidental fall.

According to media report Benin City, a similar case occurred; where the corps where invited to a burial ceremony for security purposes. These policemen drank so much alcohol that one of them accidentally let lose his cocked gun, which immediately fired in the direction it was facing, killing and injuring other guest. According to the reports, that incident actually took the lives of two people, leaving a good number of casualties. Still in Benin City, a couple of months back, a young man named “Blessed” an under graduate of Delta State Universally Abraka, who was short dead by a policeman on assumption of the diseased being a criminal. According to the information gathered from both parents and eye witness it stated that the youngman was not feeling too well and had gone to send some drugs at a chemist across the road. On the way, he saw a group of boys fighting and wanted to be of help by being the peace maker only for him to notice a chaotic development as people started running including the fighting boys.

Being innocent, he stood still to know what was happening, only for him to be the recipient of a bullet misfired by a policeman, as others were shooting randomly. The most pathetic part of the story was that the corpse was dumped with a gun by it side, and police statement claimed that the youngman was a criminal and was armed with a weapon. To cut the long story short, the parents of the diseased decided to leave the case to God and be at loss as they are poor people who could not afford the cost of going to court and beside, that will not bring back their undergraduate son to life.

A statement made by the Public Relation Officer of the Nigerian Police, Edo State Command, ASP Peter Ogboi, insinuate that; “when a police officer aim his gun and release the trigger, he may not have control over where the bullet is going to hit the person.

It is the position which the suspect decides to take after the trigger has been released that decides where the bullet would hit him”. Thus the intention of the policeman may not be to kill. It suffices here to ask the following questions. Are policeman licensed to kill at will, when and how are they supposed to exercise this right assuming they were constitutional given the power to kill? How do they excuse the many accidental discharge that has claimed many lives? Are these careless and inhuman action sanctioned? and in what way. What are the legal rights of the Nigerian Police? When it comes to enforcing the law, arrest or prosecution?

All these and more are the burning questions on the lips of many people coupled with the feeling of insecurity and fear the police has created by this actions in the 1999 constitution provides for criminal procedure Act in Section 10, which confers on the police their various power and authority while section 23, 24 28, 29 and 30 P.A provides for the general functions of the police within the society. These include prevention and detention of crime apprehension of offenders, protection of life and property, enforcement of all laws and regulation with performance of military duties within and outside Nigeria as may be required. But today, the reverse is the case as instead of detecting and preventing crime, they have become the custodian of crime, collecting compulsory illegal tax of N20 and the likes from motorist and other individuals. Instead of ensuring security, they have instill fear in the hear of many even at sight as only God knows who will be the next victim of an accidental discharge or a misfire. It is pertinent to note that in all the theoretical/explanatory note given in the police Act, where a police is authorized to start prosecution before arrest, prosecution begins as soon as a suspect is arranged in court, hence there is no legal basis for the current practice, where by a police officer prosecutes a suspect before arrest which may even result in the death of the person.

All these lobsided function of the police has a bearing on the fact that most policemen are not educated both academically, and in their functions. The police job is left for the uneducated people who after taunting for years will decide to joint he police force for refuge and not for service as presently, no well educated sensible individual will want to join the Nigerian police force due to the high level of corruption and low personality profile of the Nigerian police. Hence they don’t even know the law let alone enforcing it of which they are directly charged.