THE POLICE IS YOUR FRIEND
The saying that "The Police is your friend" is really relative. Let us critically examine the statement and check it in context to ascertain its correctness.
You always find them on the road for security reasons - securely collecting taxes from motorists and whatnot. The other day, a few steps away from their 'checkpoint', a conductor and a passenger get into an altercation that rapidly degenerates into a fight causing traffic but 'Our Friends' did not care, they were too busy taxing other motorists to be bothered...
But this is not the main story i would like to address,here's the main incident that in my mind challenged the sanity and sanctity of the Nigerian Police force.
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Walking down the road on the Island sometime, having left an event scheduled to end earlier but ended up ending at almost 12am, a friend and I try to get a vehicle to take us down to cms. The only vehicles going were taxis which we couldn't afford, so the next best option was to keep walking till we got a bus to take us to our destination.
After walking awhile, we were tired and sat a little to rest. Whilst sitting on the garage chair by the roadside, a patrol vehicle drives up and demands we identify ourselves. We presented IDs and explained what we were doing out so early in the morning and explained that we had to be at work in a few hours so we needed to keep moving so we could get home in enough time to get to work.
Having admonished us on the dangers of walking about at that time of the morning, the policemen drove off leaving us to our fate of wandering in the dark,trekking to a destination that seemed to move farther the longer we walked.
But even this was good.
Some time later - about 3am, another unit drove towards us from the front and ordered us to get in the vehicle saying we were going to the station.
They begin to berate me, how irresponsible i was walking around at that time of the day with a lady, risking her life, putting her in danger; and her for being a loose girl, all because she wants to 'corner prick' she's wandering the streets at such early hours of the morning.
Amusingly, these men never asked questions like the first patrol team did, they settled for making assumptions and issuing threats. Whilst I could easily have tried to explain to these men in black, it was simply prudent to step into their vehicle to avoid stories that touch - due to the time of day it was, they could easily have gunned us down and claimed to have caught us stealing.
Na so we enter motor o!
Whilst they were there yapping and yammering about corrupt children and whatnot, we closed our eyes and dozed. They came to a point where they decided to station themselves for awhile at about 4am and monitor the area, then they awaken us and ask where we were from and where we were headed. Even having explained the situation to them, Inspector Luku asks what we have for them.
I'm indeed truly amazed!
I explain that i have just enough to take me home to the mainland and officer Francis begins to berate us all over again and telling us how we will sleep in cell blah!blah!blah! All this of cos whilst they passed ogogoro between among one another and tried to get me to join them in taking a drink.
Officer Eze explains that we should try to raise N5,000 between us and give it to inspector Luku and the other inspector so that they can let us go. After laughing long and hard at their antiques - bad police, rotten police - i explained (again) that i had only enough money for the fare home.
The other two officers at this time were down from the bus 'arresting' tricycle(keke) riders for moving about so early - all in a bid to raise their early morning tips no doubt.
So, off to the station we went as we didn't have the N5,000 they requested. Arriving at the Obalende police station, they again try to 'cajole' money off us but i tell them all i have to spare is N500 which would even eat into the fare that should take me home.
Did the shameless louts care?
No.
They collected the money,all the while whining about how they were supposed to shared the money (which one concern me fa...)
So the Jits let us out of the bus without the courtesy of ensuring our safety by at least taking us to the busstop so we could get a bus!
Forget the drama i see on the road every other day when they hustling to get their roger, this was the height!
They put a lie to the statement 'The Police Is Your Friend'.
Oh they are friendly alright, if you have the money to spare;but woe betide you if you should find yourself in a dicey situation without money, then you would really be stuck with your tail hanging in the wind.
