Value of Life: Akpabio Tries to Pacify Families of Police Victims with N5 million

Posted: December 19, 2011 - 23:38
By SaharaReporters, New York

Gov Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom has paid N5 million about ($30,000) each to the families of two youths who were killed in cold blood by the police in Eket on July 18.

The victims were Emmanuel Akpan Unamso and Ita Livinus Ekpo, both of Okon community in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, and the compensation cheques were presented to the families by the Police Commissioner, Solomon Arase.

Following police killing of the innocent vigilante youths in Eket, youths of the area challenged police firepower as they stoned Mr. Felix Uyanna, the former Akwa Ibom Police Commissioner, who visited the area only to find himself face to face with the anger of a mob.

The youths, who numbered over 3,000, overwhelmed Mr. Uyanna's convoy, and several gunshots fired by his men into the air failed to dissuade them. They responded to the gunshots with stones, sticks and missiles.

CP Felix Uyanna was later removed by Police high command for failing to address the spate of insecurity in the state.

Presenting the cheques to the families of the deceased, Arase urged the families to accept entire incident.

"As one of the major challenges which I inherited from my predecessor, it is a common knowledge that this crisis and the failure to take decisive actions towards resolving it has created grounds for restiveness, and increased acts of criminality in and around Okon community.

"It has also systematically destroyed the hitherto strong synergy between the community and the local police, thereby exposing the community to opportunistic criminals. My concerted determination to put this crisis to rest was accordingly, driven by the genuine need to re-establish police-community partnership as a way of enhancing public securing in Okon-Eket," he said. 

But while he pledged that under his command the police would continue to ensure security of lives and property in the state, he was silent on the disciplinary measures, if any, which have been taken against the policemen who perpetrated the killing of the innocent youths.

It would be recalled that in the bid to save face following the killings by his own men, Eket DPO, Mr Dike Uchechi, who was merely redeployed to a nearby Esit Eket division, cooked up the story that his men returned fire when they were attacked, although the slain men, it was gathered, were not even armed.

By a curious coincidence, Mr. Arase is yet to speak to SaharaReporters about last Saturday's police checkpoint death of Divine Asubob, a 32-year old oil technician, in Esit Eket local government. 

Witnesses said Mr. Asubob was killed when his motorbike was apparently brought to a halt at an illegal checkpoint where the police where extorting N20 of passersby, and a truck ran him over from behind. The police fled the checkpoint and left Mr. Asubob to die. 

In addition, Mr. Arase's presentation of Governor Akpabio's N5 million to the families of those killed by men of the force last July raises the philosophical question of the value of a life, specifically, how much a Nigerian life. 

"The answer may be N20 to policemen, or N5million a governor," our analyst said. "Let us wait to see what the police is going to pay to the families, and how much punishment the policemen responsible for these needless deaths will receive." 

"Witnesses said Mr. Asubob was killed when his motorbike was apparently brought to a halt at an illegal checkpoint where the police where extorting N20 of passersby, and a truck ran him over from behind. The police fled the checkpoint and left Mr. Asubob to die. "

 

It is common knowledge to most road users,  that the Nigerian  police are so corrupt that many checkpoints manned by them have secretstorages in nearby places and bushes,  where they direct mostly commercial drivers to store  money,  which the police extort from the drivers. Often times the drivers leave loaves of bread for the police extortioners. It is also common knowledge that police superiors demand from  orderlies,  who man road-checkpoints, a share of the loot so collected. At least most of the orderlies have talked about such practices. Many cases of extra-judicial killings by the Nigeria Police,  as the ones which occurred here, have been reported almost everywhere in Nigeria. It is not  baffling that police authorities have not scratched the back of police misconduct in Nigeria; -  the officers are even more corrupt than the ordinary ratings!

 The problem gets worse in  a nation where their civilian bosses are the most corrupt compared to most places in the world.  The Nigerian  police has become a very serious danger to the Nigerian citizen. The surest way to avert dangers like this one; and  other dangers associated with armed robberies, kidnappings, and extra-judicial killings,  is for communities to form their own legal and/or vigilante groups,  for their own protection against brutalities like these ones.  It will be helpful if the Police are required to issue permits signed by judges,  to police officers and men, for every check-point mounted;  and such permits presented to civilians who demand to see the permits in order to recognize and obey orders from such checkpoints. Alternatively or in conjunction with presenting their permits for mounting  any check-point,  to civilians;  permitting  citizens to carry  concealed and licensed  handguns, will certainly help to check some of these police excesses. Since there is a break-down of law and order, orchestrated by the men and women who are paid to keep law and order, the people must resort to other means of protecting themselves;  from a corrupt government  and from an equally corrupt police force. The Esit Eket community must demand the prosecution of the police men and women who mounted the check-point, and should not rest until justice is seen to be done.

OduduAbasi

DFW

"As one of the major challenges which I inherited from my predecessor, it is a common knowledge that this crisis and the failure to take decisive actions towards resolving it has created grounds for restiveness, and increased acts of criminality in and around Okon community." Akpabio

For more than four years if indeed he inherited the problem from the previous administration, it confirms Akpabio's ineptitude to perform and deliver in the face of increased criminality in the state. But youth restiveness is the direct result of lack of gainful employment in the state where the administration is know for its inability to create jobs. There is no reason why Akpabio came to office if not to deliver on the failures of his predecessor and since he cannot, then he has no need to complain and point accusing fingers to the previous government that he was a part of for more than six years.

 

Eno Adams
INN/ Hayward, CA
Give Me Peace In Akwa Ibom Or Give Me Nothing!