Policing for extortion

The Police is not your friend but a

money seeking client.

A Police team once stopped me near Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba on my way to work in the morning.

This team was not property kitted but they were armed.

They asked for my papers and found two copies of a document with me and raised hell and made me look like a criminal.

I explained to them that at my instance the second copy was produced as the first was defective.

The same policemen, who criminalized me later advised me to destroy or do away with the defective copy.

I once went to a police station to incident a case and the policeman behind the counter asked me to go purchase a writing material as he had run out of a pen.

At that station, I saw a trader drag a young lady who was owing him. With the help of the Police, the young trader got some money off the lady.

I thought the police was supposed to be a neutral arbiter but not surprisingly, the young man returned to gratify the police.

Now, this piece was inspired by the News report of a kidnappers den found behind a police check point.

At Mile two Oke in Lagos, I was almost robbed in traffic at the junction of the roads leading to Apapa and Orile.

I was en route Orile at the Apapa side of the junction was a military checkpoint.

The security operative must be lousy not to notice the activities of the robbers, only about a few metres away.

What beats my imagination is how security operatives armed by the commonwealth would turn around to hound the people they are meant to protect?

From experience, I know for a fact that it is not easy watching people enjoying while you see yourself as being neglected.

This is why the welfare of the Police has to be looked into while citizens are protected against misuse of power by the Police.

Cases abound of policemen being behind cases of kidnapping. I bet, to them it is a case of using what they have to get what they want.

If policemen become criminals, then who is our friend?

The one who feels that crime is the surest way to success or the one who is equipped to protect us but turns around to extort and Rob us?

Why did Yahoo boys turn on the Police? A breakup of their unholy alliance, whereby Yahoo boys defraud foreigners and the police demand for a cut.

During Big brother Naija season 6, the winner, White money claimed that he could never be broke as he was always wont to be doing one thing or the other.

To me the Policeman too never gets broke because of the force of arms and the avalanche of information they have on criminals who will rather settle the Police than face the full wrath of the Law.

If you are ready to part with your money, then the Police is your friend, otherwise the police is a threat.