It was refreshing to hear Lagos Police Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu’s comments about the excesses of his men in Lagos last week. He was reacting to the brutality of the policemen sent to break up the Independence Day protest organized by the Coalition for Revolution (CORE). The RevolutionNow protest that was going to be held in the main cities of the country was going to be a mass action against the bad government of the country. In Ojota, a photojournalist covering the protest was left bleeding by an overzealous police officer after smashing his head in with a baton. CP Odumosu did not hide his disgust at the incident. He not only condemned the action, but also assured that the policeman will face disciplinary action and also promised to pay the bills for the treatment of the mistreated journalist. He called the police action an irresponsible act. wow! Just listen to him, “The man who was doing his legal duty and was assaulted by the police, we’ll take care of that. Again, sorry about that. But you know me, I don’t put up with all these things and I never will.” . There is no reason to justify what the police did. What he did was assault, brutality and incivility. I won’t cover that. Rest assured, you will face disciplinary action.” My God! How did you feel reading those words? Does he sound like a typical Nigerian police officer? In the past, when beating and arresting innocent protesters, you will hear that it was a order from above or an action to stop criminals, looters, illegal assemblies or actions against the enemies of democracy.Or, in the best of cases, you will not receive any comment.

As I read that report, I was reminded of how I also felt earlier in the year as I watched Deputy Inspector General of Police, AIG Ahmed Iliyasu of Zone 2 Command, Onikan, expose the assassins of a prominent businessman, Chief Ignatius Odunukwe, in Lagos. . The AIG hugged the late Chief Odunukwe’s younger brother, comforted him and reminded him that he promised them (the family) from the beginning that he would do everything possible to ensure that the sudden disappearance of the Anambra-born Fireman Generators owner is resolved. . While watching that clip, I fought back tears. Once again I felt proud to be a Nigerian. I saw in Ahmed Iliyasu; former Kano State Police Commissioner and United Nations Director of Investigation

a dedicated, gallant, patriotic, loving, honest, God fearing and detribalized Nigerian. I must say that I have never seen that level of love shown by a security officer in public before. And it was like a sorting balm for some of us who met IG Odunukwe in person. We lived in the same place in Anthony Village when I was with the Banex Group in the late 1990s. And like my former boss, Sir Victor Mbanisi, he was from the town of Oraukwu in the Idenmili local government of Anambra State. Yes, there are many of them from that small town: young, intelligent, hard-working, industrious, and very rich. From them I learned entrepreneurship, hard work and dedication. You get infected with a strong desire to succeed when you come in contact with these guys. Some of them did not have the opportunity to receive a formal education growing up, but today they lead and govern in their business areas. Even his partners abroad always recognize, respect and envy his cunning and dedication. I congratulate AIG Iliyasu for consoling us by arresting the butchers of our beloved IG.

Look at the recently concluded Edo state gubernatorial election, the police and electoral management body showed that they can always deliver if given the right environment and the necessary support. The report said that more than 30,000 police officers and officers were deployed to the state that day. Helicopters, boats and other equipment were also dispatched to ensure the smooth running of the exercise. They were given carte blanche to operate. And what was the result? The desire of the people prevailed. The election was free and fair; with minor incidents. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise because everyone expected maximum violence. This is the kind of result you get when you allow institutions to function. People have been congratulating the candidates and their sponsors, but I think the first people to say thank you are President Buhari, Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu and INEC President who

refused to interfere with the exercise. Even when his party was involved, the president chose to remain neutral and the other agencies were forced to align, allowing for a free and credible exercise. I don’t want to worry about the other political interpretations that are suggested. The lesson here is that we can do well if we choose to. We can make our institutions and processes work like they do elsewhere. Real. In the past, it would have only taken a simple instruction from ‘above’ or their body language for politicians to rig elections with the full protection and collusion of security agencies and the electoral commission. Yes, no election can be rigged without the full support of the security men. And in Nigeria, they will do it with impunity, with pride, and they will ask you to go to court and challenge it. I mean the same court that appoints and pays the judges? You already know the stories of some of those ballot petitions.

This has been our downfall: weak institutions, corrupt and unpatriotic leadership, unprofessional police and military, and uncourageous electoral and judicial referees. But if these critical institutions are strengthened, I think history will change forever. The Nigerian police force under the current leadership has been trying to rediscover itself and redeem its image. It must be said that the police have been recording positive performance of late by continuing to investigate crimes and track down criminals, especially armed robbers and kidnappers. We must encourage them to do better by giving them what they need for quality job training and retraining, exposing them to other exchange programs and decent environments. We must adequately and adequately equip them with modern tools, especially communication, tracking and forensic devices, better remuneration and cooperation from citizens. If they have everything and we don’t give them the information they need, they won’t accomplish much. We can improve this by installing security cameras in our homes, offices, streets and public places. This makes your job, investigations much easier. So, on the management’s side, they should do everything possible to completely eliminate those corrupt men and women who forcefully bring bad reputation and also stop those activities that make them hate and doubt them by the public. Yes, we can have a whole new police force. We can create a new image for you through our collective actions. It’s possible. I wish all our policemen could be like Ahmed Iliyasu and Hakeem Odumosu by not only serving with integrity but also with compassion and pride.

Agbo is the author of the books/audiobooks Never Again!, Move Forward, The Power of Sacrifice, The Power of the Midnight Prayer.