Police brutality is increasingly becoming a norm in Bauchi State; and usually it takes many forms and dimensions—but unfortunately, any time it’s reported, the authorities usually look away.
A few examples will suffice here. On December 12, 2019, WikkiTimes reported how a police officer in Ningi local government area of Bauchi state allegedly shot one Sabo Idris who was on his way to a mining field at Burra District “for refusing to offer N5O bribe.”
The medium at the time spoke with one Adamu Yakubu who is the uncle of the victim who confesses on how Sabo Idris was stopped by the police that were on patrol and was shot in his leg “for dragging with the police over N50 bribe”.
“They were going to their mining field, they passed a military checkpoint and met another police checkpoint who were on patrol, they were stopped by the police, but when Sabo refused to yield to their demand to bribe them, one of the police shot him in the leg for attempting to leave without offering them the requested N50”, Adamu told this medium on telephone.
It took the intervention of the district head of Burra Alhaji Ya’u Shehu and the DPO Danladi Mohammed, to plead with the youths who were irked by the incident and wanted to take laws into their hands to calm down, that they will investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to book.
When WikkiTimes pressed the commissioner of police at the time Mr. Philip Maku, he promised to investigate the incident and bring the police officer to book; nothing is done since the incident occurred.
In a widely circulated editorial, WikkiTimes had documented how a popular police officer consistently keep torturing and extorting citizens in the name of enforcing the ban on Okada and covid-19 protocols without recourse to due process.
The police at various checkpoints mounted to enforce COVID-19 protocols have turned them to extortion centres where helpless citizens are time and again milked of their hard earned money by overzealous security officers, largely of police extraction. A checkpoint at Dass park in Bauchi metropolis has remained notorious for extorting innocent commuters, even when the Executive Order 001 signed by the State governor stipulates that it was only the mobile court inaugurated by the State Government has the power to sanction COVID-19 offenders.
But unfortunately, the police are allegedly doing that without consideration to due process and established norms.
This medium also recalls how an angry mob attacked and sent packing, the Dambam Divisional Police officers for allegedly “robbing commuters”.
Residents of Dambam LGA in a viral video had accused the police of alleged robbery in Dam Village on Kano-Maiduguri Road.
Although the Bauchi State Police Command had dismissed as “false and misleading” the viral video that suggested that it had participated in the alleged robbery, investigative committee inaugurated by Philip Maku at the time has yet to make its findings public.
Therefore, the police are yet to be vindicated in the alleged robbery incident since no one could establish their innocence through acceptable procedural process.
Of recent, WikkiTimes had also published how a township Divisional Police Officer allegedly tortured to death two “chickens’ thieves” extra-judicially, fracturing another suspect who was said to have facilitated the sale of the stolen chickens—another serious red flag on the Bauchi Police.
PIDI-Nigeria in reports after reports continue to point how the police in Bauchi State continue to malign, maltreat, dehumanize and extra-judicially kill innocent citizens for crimes they do not deserve to die. Committees after committees are set up in the name of investigating those alleged crimes committed by the police; nothing is heard about the outcomes of such committees of inquiries.
WikkiTimes continue to wonder what is hindering the Bauchi State government from ensuring that the police in the state is hold accountable for its many woes.
For instance, if the State government would facilitate the arrest and prosecution of one Umar Mai Fata for allegedly “making a false accusation in a Radio program against the state governor Bala Mohammed”, what is stopping the state from standing up for its citizens who voted it into power against the police?
Governor Bala Mohammed has repeatedly pledges his loyalty to the hoi-polloi of the state, arguing that they brought him to power against the wishes of the State’s power brokers.
But we have seen the Sa’adu Zungur’s talakawas face all kinds of in-human treatment by the police as authorities in the state continue to look away.
We have not seen the state government through its attorney general making frantic efforts to save its citizens from police continued torture and extra-judicial execution.
WikkiTimes demand urgent intervention of the Bauchi State government through its organs who ought to set up an independent committee of inquiry that will investigate the series of allegations reported by citizens against some elements of the Bauchi State police who find pleasure in killing innocent citizens and getting away with that.
The medium appreciates the effort of the State governor Bala Mohammed who twitted that “enforcing the laid down guidelines must not include harassments of any kind.”
But we demand that words must be matched with action as has been done on other urgent issues that concern citizens’ plight.
We also call on the Bauchi State Police Command to make its findings public and punish the alleged perpetrators if the Command must be seen to be serious on their repeated pledges and promises.
