ABSTRACT
Since 1999, Nigeria has consistently been described as an electoral democratic state, with periodic election as its most prominent feature. Here, the people are only organized and enticed to vote in periodic elections, after which they are secluded from the activities of the government in the following period where they are made impotent spectators of the activities of the government they have voted to power. This growing divide between the government and the people of Nigeria finds more bearing in the activities of the Nigerian police, a creation of the law, for the safety and protection of lives and property of the citizenry, the Nigeria Police have reduced itself to an institution arguably against the people by constantly abusing the powers granted it by law. The flagrant of abuse of powers by the police triggered the #Endsars Movement which began in 2017, and was revitalized in October 2020. Even though present grievances by the populace is directed at the government on all levels, it is important to note that initial agitations, through the #Endsars movement were police – centric. Arguably, The Nigeria Police Act, 2020 is not the final anti dot to cure the defects suffered by the Nigeria police force. In fact, the police do not feature in the everyday calculation of the average citizen.
In Nigeria today, the police are rather avoided, looked upon with disgust, or made gest of where such is possible. If they are not making headlines through extra judicial killings of suspects such as ‘Apo 6’ killing of 2006, they are on the street extorting different sums of money from motorist and other road users sometimes in broad daylight. In between these extremes are the cases of unwarranted arrest, lengthy pre-trial detention, fabrication and falsification of statements of suspects and accused person, and torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of civilians, and other anti-democratic conducts.
Yet again, police misconduct is not restricted to Nigeria alone. Countries like the United States, South Africa both of them formerly race conscious states have had cases of police brutality. The difference however, between these two states and Nigeria is the corruption that has become part and parcel of the Nigerian police force.
