Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Ikeja Lagos CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi (mnipr) has said some police men are so recalcitrant, very stubborn, unrepentantly stubborn, adding that such erring police officers should not be dismissed, except they commit capital offences like pure armed robbery or killing. Rather, that they should be sent to farm settlements to engage in agricultural, piggery and poultry production.
Adejobi stated this during an exclusive interview with Theresa Moses in his office over the weekend.
Speaking on the issue of bad eggs in the force and what the police authority is doing to flush them out if detected, he said: “We have some of our men that don’t learn from the past. If you don’t understudy your past, you won’t know your present and you cannot plan for your future. The principle of Uniformitarianism: study the past to be able to conform to the present situation. They are so recalcitrant: they are very stubborn, unrepentantly stubborn. I don’t always like people to be dismissed except you commit capital offences like pure armed robbery or killing. If it’s those minor offences of extortion, etc, if I have my way, I’d love to advise the president that lets be seconding them to ministries and parastatals and government agencies.
“Instead of dismissing a policeman over minor offences, let’s take that man, collect his gun, uniform and second him to the Ministry of Agriculture. Go and put them in farm settlements let them continue to farm, manage poultry, piggery or fishery farms and plantation of teak, fine teak, special species like tectona grandis, etc. We will use them to boost the economy, instead of dismissal. They can do screening of these bad eggs and use them for other needs, taking them out of the security circle.
“Don’t let them access this authority, being in police they are having a lot of power, having a lot of opportunities to deal with people in the community. If they are not in that police circle, take them to Ministry of Mines and Power or Ministry of Water Resources, let them continue to be in charge of these instead of dismissing them; their salary will still go and will be part of the Federal Government staff as civil servants, but they will not be police officers again and they will not be armed. As much as they are in the service, they can have the circumstance that will make them go and sign for arms. Once you have arms with you, you can do an undo”
The Lagos State police image maker acknowledges the fact that there are many bad eggs in the police but said it’s high time “we start thinking outside the box, to see how we can address the problem of having bad eggs in the police. If you don’t have a good police system, you cannot have good governance. Police are so connected to governance and our democratic values so much that we cannot afford to toy with having a sub-standard policing system in the country”.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the current terms of recruitment, given the issue of involvement in crime, indiscipline, the dandy police officer said: “As a person, I am not so pleased with the recruitment exercise in the police. That’s why you see that most of the previous IGPs have been fighting hard to have full control; to be in charge of recruitment exercises into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), either as recruit constables, cadet inspectors, cadet ASPs or full Police Academy training as pure cadet.
“We believe that most of the problems that have been faced in the police now are connected to enormous recruitment processes that those ordinarily not supposed to be in the job have found their ways into the job. Break the head; put everything inside that brain, it is still empty and he cannot comprehend. At this level, I don’t think I should say a policeman shouldn’t be able to read well and write well. It is not good enough to be having police personnel that cannot read and write.”
Stressing the need for more hands, additional manpower, Adejobi advised: “The IGP will work well with the leadership of the Police Service Commission (PSC) to see what we can do about the recruitment in the NPF. We need more hands, we don’t have much manpower, we need manpower and if we want manpower, we need to recruit massively and this process must not desist from the fact that the standard of recruitment must still be maintained. The fact that we want men to work with us doesn’t mean we just continue to recruit every Dick and Harry into the service without considering any standard, we can do more.”
While appreciating the fantastic contribution of the media, he solicits for objective reportage. “I’ve been relating with them and they know the system; I don’t beg the journalists not to write, but be objective in whatever you want to write. If a police man rapes a girl, I will be foolish begging you not to publish, it’s immaterial to me; so far you know his name and you’re not saying it’s the CP. No misrepresentation. If Sergeant Akeem rapes a girl, don’t say it’s Muyiwa.
“If a police man misbehaves don’t generalise it that Lagos State Police Command is condemned, no. In the case of Jelili Bakare that was shot in Sangotedo. Jonathan Company, former inspector attached to (his station) fired somebody. But don’t say police have come again or Lagos Police massacre or Bloody Sunday: Lagos Police kill…. Don’t say Lagos Police kill, rather Sergeant this kills. Don’t generalise, that’s where I have issues with some people. If Muyiwa has done something, say Muyiwa, don’t say police. Everybody has his own name and your name is your anchor, use the person’s name. I appreciate them (the media) because I’ve not had bad cases like this one I’ve just cited now. Everything has been going on well, reportage has been so fantastic. We can still improve the synergy between the police and the media in Lagos State. It’s achievable.”
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