थे मद दोग्स अरे हियर अगं

THE MAD DOGS ARE HERE AGAIN

Imagine a Rear Admiral engaging in fisticuffs with a girl, young enough to be his daughter, before a glaring public. When those naval ratings were assaulting Uzoma Okere it was Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade that was doing the beating except he is claiming that the boys no longer take instructions from their superiors. The ratings were carrying out the instructions of their boss because through association they have come to realized that the admiral loves such scenes of harassing and intimidating defenseless and hapless Nigerians. My people have a saying that “owo inyang idionoke mbet” translated “ a fisher man does not know the law.” These navy people are fisherman, “water people” either they do not know the law or the deliberately have no regard for the law. I don’t blame all these quota system generals. While their mates abroad got their ranks through live combat action in battle fields ours got their own in the office, through godfatherism and where they come from.

Who is a rear admiral in the first place and why must Nigerians scampered out of the road because of one admiral is visiting his girl friend? If our admiral and his ratings are that brave they should come to the creeks of Niger Delta and kill all the militants instead of harassing defenseless civilians on our highways? The general is a coward and so are his ratings. That admiral is a coward because it is only cowards that beat women to proof their masculinity, in this case to show how powerful and important he is. The other day I was told of how some soldiers in Bayelsa state asked a pregnant woman to roll on the ground. No matter the offence of that woman she should not have been subjected to such torture but the men paid to protect her turned against her.

I chose to be a journalist despite my father’s insistence that I must be a lawyer. He never forgave me till he died, especially when I met the cut off point to study law and I turned it down. I have no regret and I do not vent whatever frustration I may encounter in the course of my job on anybody. Every profession has its hazards and frustrations. I did not ask anybody to join the police or armed forces so no one should transfer his frustration to me.

What is bravery when you beat a fellow man because you have a gun, when you know that one on one you dare not talk to him disrespectfully? It reminds me of what some pupils use to do in my secondary school days when you see a junior student (who started school late for whatever reason) who at times was five to 10 years older than you (bigger and stronger), you asked him to kneel down or subject him to one form of punishment or the other just because you are one or two classes ahead. And any time you see him outside the school premises who will be so scared that he would come after you. This is how Nigeria soldiers and policemen behave. Most of them who are wont to slap a civilian at the slightest opportunity might never have fought anybody before the joined the force and now that they are in they want to beat every body to show how powerful they are. It smacks of inferiority complex or low self esteem. You don’t need to beat a civilian to justify your military training or to show that you are a “force man.”

The so-called admiral, maybe an officer but he is not a gentleman. My father was not an army officer. In fact he never joined the Boys Scout so what would have been my fate or that of my sisters: Emem, Mercy, Eno, Inemesit or Comfort Etim Mark, The Tailor and not Uzoma Okere, the daughter of a retired colonel and a serving sergeant –at- arm in the national assembly. Today it is Uzoma tomorrow it can be anybody and before family connection come to rescue some damage would have been done. I am sure if the ratings have killed Uzoma and her colleagues they would have been frame up as armed robbers or militants; and are some weapons and ammunitions would have their ways in the car. And the ratings would have been commended and even promoted for dealing with the criminals.

Last Tuesday The Punch Newspapers Chief Correspondent in Rivers State, Mr. Ibanga Isine, was returning from a restaurant when some “ba turenchi” mobile Policemen pounced on him and designed his body with horse whips. In those days when I was in my village primary school and we use to fight, whenever we confront opponents who have bigger siblings or large family members in the school we normally choose a neutral ground for a fight so that each person can proof his strength without family support. Ibanga, my brother may not be a world class wrestler or boxer but I can boast that could take his attackers man to man. These policemen are cowards. Most of them were cowards and never fight or beat anybody before they join the force and immediately the joined the force they became terrorists harassing and intimidating any unfortunate civilian that comes their way. If our soldiers and policemen are not cowards why is it that when they go out of their way to “find trouble” with civilians they rushed to their barracks to get reinforcement? Why can’t they finish what they started, must they go and seek help from their fellow soldiers? In my village people who fight and invite members of their families to help them are regarded as cowards. If you start a fight finish it without wiping up sentiments and tales.

Is there any portion of the Police Act that says that a policeman has the right to slap anybody for no just cause? Is brutality part of the police force code of conduct? It is only people who cannot advance or accept superior argument and explanation that resort to force as a means of expressing themselves. It has nothing to do with military or police training. We know there is no curfew or restriction of movement in Port Harcourt and the law forbidding wandering is no longer in force so what was the offence of Ibanga. The State Police command is yet to react to the attack because they have no reason yet to justify the acts of their men. In the streets of Port Harcourt and other cities this is a common practice. The other day some PHCN officials wrongly disconnected our office public power supply and when we protested they brought the police to arrest us. The team was led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who was in mufti, did not listen to our argument that we have not only paid but that it is PHCN that is even owing us. When I asked him to identify himself or show me an arrest warrant, he slapped me right inside my office

The public seemingly hatred for the police might not be unconnected with how they treat members of the public and how they cook up stories and allegations against people just to blackmail and extort money. Members of the public may never join the police to fight crime in our society because of how they treat the people. A patriotic Nigerian who alert the police or give information about a crime may end up being the main suspect, as they say complainant turn accused. The armed forces and other security agencies should educate their men on how to relate with the civilian populace. In their various training schools they should be taught civil liberties and human rights. The security agencies should draw up a code of conduct for its staff on how they should relate with members of the public. According to our laws, a suspect is supposed to be innocent until convicted by a competent court. But what we see in our society today is pitiable, innocent Nigerians who are picked as crime suspects are treated as if they have been convicted of crime. Security agents are taking advantage of the security situation in the Niger Delta and hiding under the guise of searching for militants brutalise, torture, harass, abuse and intimidate residents of the region. One time Chief of Air during a similar incident, described air force ratings as mad dogs, and these made dog syndrome may cut across the security agencies. And if the dogs are mad then they should be taken to psychiatric hospital for treatment instead of allowing them to roam the streets and attack law abiding citizens. May god deliver us from mad dogs.