An average Nigerian policeman is aggressive and over-zealous due ostensibly to the harsh environment as well as the psychological stress he is subjected to, SUNDAY PUNCH investigations have shown.
The disclosure is coming just as seven of every 10 policemen in the country may not have for many years observed their annual vacation, even as they work round the clock without being paid any special allowances.
The psychological stress, our correspondent gathered, affect both the junior and senior cadres as they all work under the same hostile condition.
According to a cross section of policemen who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja, they work under frustrating environment which has little room for self-expression or personal development.
A Police Inspector, who craved anonymity for the security of his career, said he had been on the same rank for over six years, while some of his colleagues who allegedly knew influential politicians had been promoted above him.
He explained that they worked under serious strain, adding that some of them were even forced to work for three days consecutively without being allowed to go home to refresh or change their uniforms.
This, he attributed for the antagonistic and over-zealous character of some of his colleagues, particularly those in the rank and file who could not cope with the work pressure and the psychological trauma they face.
”Police officers are not finding it rosy because we work under a difficult environment where you have to go to great lengths to get basic things done and Nigerians are not making it easy for us. When a police officer is antagonistic, he might also be reacting to what people do when he issues an instruction. An officer working under serious pressure cannot be expected to joke with you if you disregard his directive and argue with him. To argue with policemen is akin to calling them idiots; don‘t do that,” he warned.
A Corporal who joined the Force about six years ago said he had never gone on annual vacation, adding that the service did not give officers such privilege.
Some of his colleagues who wanted to get married, he said, were given a few days to conduct the marriage and report back for duty and they had to show their the wedding invitation cards to convince senior officers about the genuineness of their requests.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police who lamented the negative effects this had on productivity and mental health, pointed out the difference in attitude of police officers who have taken part in peace support operations of the United Nations and those who have not travelled outside the country‘s shores in terms of disposition to work, human relations, respect for the public and responsiveness to security matters.
Many of such police personnel who returned to the country from peace support operations in Liberia, Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, East Timor and elsewhere, he added, were more approachable and disciplined on account of the positive environment created by the UN under which they served.
He said ,”When a police officer with the peace support operation works for 30 days, he gets a compulsory time off for six days and he gets his allowance without any delay. Many police officers have worked for several years without annual leave and this would naturally affect their performance, productivity, psychology and attitude to the public.”
The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Yemi Ajayi, however, said there was no deliberate policy preventing policemen from taking annual leave, adding that the Force gave its personnel opportunity at the beginning of every year to fill in their schedule and proposed time for vacation.
But the exigency of duty like elections or emergency security issues might prevent an officer from enjoying his deserved leave, he added, stressing that some policemen did go on leave once their application was approved.
Commenting, the President, Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists, Prof. Peter Ebigbo, said the nation should learn to treat its law enforcement agents with respect.
I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you
Posted: at 26-09-2010 09:58 AM (13 years ago) | Addicted Hero
mezkaz18 at 26-09-2010 02:19 PM (13 years ago) (m)
bcs we Nigerian no need soft hand
Posted: at 26-09-2010 02:19 PM (13 years ago) | Upcoming
ksurrina at 26-09-2010 05:47 PM (13 years ago) (f)
@harakiri Why are you attacking me. BACKSLIDERS WHO KNOW THE SWEETEST OF GOD and then went away from it behave like you. Am not Holy Holy but am letting persons know that AGGRESSION is not from God. Is it because the demons inside of you don't like that am here talking about God the one true and holy Heavenly Father Jehovah. Satan your stronghold on Nigerians will soon be over. God will soon raise up the ones that truly LOVE His Son in Nigeria to bring his children from out of the Sin Bondage that you have them in.
Backslider Harakiri open your mouth and confess that Jesus Christ is your Master and Savior, the true Son of the Living God so that you can be release from the SEVEN DEMONS that occupied your body.
Godly WISDOM is to Fear God. His UNDERSTANDING is to resist the devil.
Posted: at 26-09-2010 05:47 PM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac
yusufgiwa at 26-09-2010 05:55 PM (13 years ago) (m)
IF I DON'T DO ANY HOW NO POLICE CAN TREAT ME ANY HOW EVEN THEIR SO CALL AIG. BUT SOME NIGERIAN STUBBORN GUYS NEED TO GUIDED. I THINK WILL STILL NEED TO ENCOURAGE POLICE IN NIGERIA,BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER POLICE IN OTHER COUNTRY HAVE BEEN TO BEHAVE LIKE NIGERIA POLICE. GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA ENCOURAGE THEM OOOOO. BUT,ABOUT 80% DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THE JOB THEIR JUST THERE LIKE A STATUS ...LOL AND DISTURBING SOME INNOCENT CITIZEN. IN-FACT I CAN ONLY GIVE THEM 30% JOB WELL DONE BECAUSE THEIR ARE FAILURE.
Posted: at 26-09-2010 05:55 PM (13 years ago) | Upcoming
yusufgiwa at 26-09-2010 06:02 PM (13 years ago) (m)
IF I DON'T DO ANY HOW NO POLICE CAN TREAT ME ANY HOW EVEN THEIR SO CALL IG. BUT SOME NIGERIAN STUBBORN GUYS NEED TO BE GUIDED. I THINK WILL STILL NEED TO ENCOURAGE POLICE IN NIGERIA,BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER SEEING POLICE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY HAVE BEEN TO BEHAVED LIKE NIGERIA POLICE. GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA ENCOURAGE THEM OOOOO. BUT,ABOUT 80% OF THE SO CALL 9JA POLICE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THE JOB. THEY ARE JUST THERE LIKE A STATUS ...LOL AND DISTURBING SOME INNOCENT CITIZEN. IN-FACT I CAN ONLY GIVE THEM 30% JOB WELL DONE BECAUSE THEIR ARE FAILURE.
Posted: at 26-09-2010 06:02 PM (13 years ago) | Upcoming
@harakiri Why are you attacking me. BACKSLIDERS WHO KNOW THE SWEETEST OF GOD and then went away from it behave like you. Am not Holy Holy but am letting persons know that AGGRESSION is not from God. Is it because the demons inside of you don't like that am here talking about God the one true and holy Heavenly Father Jehovah. Satan your stronghold on Nigerians will soon be over. God will soon raise up the ones that truly LOVE His Son in Nigeria to bring his children from out of the Sin Bondage that you have them in.
Backslider Harakiri open your mouth and confess that Jesus Christ is your Master and Savior, the true Son of the Living God so that you can be release from the SEVEN DEMONS that occupied your body.
that is fantastic
Posted: at 26-09-2010 07:04 PM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac
the nigerian police are behaving the way they behave today because we do not have a law that respect the right of the governed or ordinary citizens by the rulers and the security agents. in other civilized country police doesnt behave or treat people like this because if they do that they could be sued and as well be punished,dismised and made to pay compensations or damages but here in nigeria and other third world countries anything goes.the action of the nigerian police can not be justified with wether they stand in the sun for years or not because they got paid for their job through the taxes of the same defenseless nigerians they molest every day. they decide to become a police man and woman out of their own free will, and they got paid for that which primaryly is to provide security to all nigerians and defend them and not to harras and molest them. that nigerians are sturborn is not an excuse too because every where in the world criminals are sturbon too and infact let me tell you nigerians doesnt commit crimes compare to what is happening in other countries even in the so called develloped world. how many sane or normal nigerians kill their whole family and commits suicide a day?. how many nigerians in whole one year kills their wife,girl friend,friend and a relation and cut them in pieces,cook them like pepper soup and eat them out of provocation?. all this things happens in other places and even mostly in the so called develloped world. there is just no justifications for the nigeria police brutality against innocent civilian. even in all this terrorist countries where police are killed in hundreds every day by religious extremist but yet they still don't brutalize civilians as we see them do here in nigeria. it is only in nigeria that people get arrested,detained by the police for just no cause or offense and charged people to court if they don't pay them to secure their bail and charge this people to court without any exibit or evidence to incriminate them and our stupid and corrupt judges will sentence or remind this innocent nigerians whom they got their monthly salaries from their taxes in prison custody. it is only in nigeria that police arrest,detain people and charge them to court without any exibit or evidence and a court that calls itself a competent will entertain such cases. in other countries where the rule of law are applied police can follow you or be be on your trail for years without you knowing it just to make sure they catch you red handed and get every evidence to incriminate you in the court if they suspect that you are engaging in any criminal activities. nigerian police need a very serious rebranding because for now they are worst than the criminals and infact the number one criminal in nigeria. you dont combact crime or enforces the law with lawlesness, so since they enforces the law and combat crimes with lawlesness they are criminals and as such lack the moral right to call or even assume that anybody is a criminal not to talk of fighting them. go to the nigerian police stations and cells and you will see what i am talking about. what they do at the check points in the day is nothing compare to what is happening at the check point in the late nights and in the police stations. do you know how many people who have lost their lives and valuables in the hands of this so called nigerian police men and women?. do you know how many people that are serving a jail term or even prosecuted by hanging or even firing squad for an offense they knew nothing about not to talk of being guilty of it?. the fact remains that we do not have a funtional and active justice system in nigeria. our judiciary system is corrupt from the law makers,the clerk in the court, the judges or magistrate to other law enforcement officers and the police who is even worst that the criminals. where in nigeria do we have a free governments defense lawyers for those who do not have the money to get the services a private lawyers to defend their right like every other democratic countries that we are immitating?. i am advicing those who can afford the services of lawyer to get one as their personal lawyer so that by the time this police criminals arrest them for this their stupid and frivolous offences like the one they call wondering and nobody gives them a dime for bail they will stop arresting people unnecessarily but my concern is for those who do not have even to feed very well and talkless of the money to pay for the services of a private lawyer. i have said it several times in this forum that it is better to run into armed robbers in an operation or road block when you have a large amount of money with you than runinig into a nigerian police check point at night or in the day in an isolated area because the armed robbers will only rob you of your money and let you go because they do not have any identity to cover but the typical nigerian police will first kill you and then rob you because they have their identity to cover and their jobs to protect ..i love nigeria and would not like to embarras its police in a public forum like this but then how do we talk about their evil and lawless activities if not in a forum like this. every other countries in the world have got their own bad side of the men in uniform but we need to talk about this lawlesness because the authorities might be reading this or have somebody in this forum who will tell them.
Posted: at 26-09-2010 08:55 PM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac
There is nothing special about the way the NPF behave. They behave THE SAME WAY all Nigerians behave and that implies that our people take full advantage of their position to press down others to their detriment. Everybody talks about the bad policeman on the street that everyone sees.Who talks about the bank security guard that connives with fraudsters to rip people off via ATM? Who talks about the bank managers,business executives and university lecturers who force ladies (both single and married) to have sex with them by force or face distasteful consequences if they fail to comply? Who talks about the thick madam who after praising the Christian go on Sunday, goes to work on Monday threatening anyone who she doesn't like with sack letter? Who talks about the military personnel who beat, maim and sometimes kill innocent civilians? Who talks about the top politicians who according to Nuhu Ribadu, embezzle over $10 billion USD every month? Who talks about them? It's only the hungry policeman on the street that people look at as the worst criminal.
It's how we Africans are my friend NOT limited to policemen alone. We tend to mis-use any position we find ourselves. All these people claiming "holy holy" on this forum (e.g ksurrina) are the same people that will loot funds in monumental proportions if they find themselves in govt office. They will say their god has answered the prayers and this is their time. They will steal govt money while being covered by the blood of Jesus Christ or in the name of Allah and feel justified with what they are doing because they give stolen tithes to the "man of god". Who is fooling who?
Leave the policemen alone abeg. You all will do the same if you were in their shoes. Try standing in the hot sun for six hours a day for 3 weeks and see if you won't run mad...lol
End of!
HA HA HA HAHAH. Correct yans. Nigerians need a change of paradigm. Ha ha hahahha. Aggression is from the devil. Chai! Na wa. The next thing go be say, make we carry all our police men go for deliverance. H ha hah a hah. Let us invite Ksurrina's pastor to come and cast out the aggression causing demon in Nigerian police men. Ha h ahahhaha.
Guy, well said. I am not endorsing or rejecting your criticism of Ksurrina though.
Correct yarns.
Posted: at 26-09-2010 10:18 PM (13 years ago) | Upcoming
ceejay58 at 26-09-2010 11:41 PM (13 years ago) (m)
Quote from: harakiri on 26-09-2010 05:01 PM
@Post
There is nothing special about the way the NPF behave. They behave THE SAME WAY all Nigerians behave and that implies that our people take full advantage of their position to press down others to their detriment. Everybody talks about the bad policeman on the street that everyone sees.Who talks about the bank security guard that connives with fraudsters to rip people off via ATM? Who talks about the bank managers,business executives and university lecturers who force ladies (both single and married) to have sex with them by force or face distasteful consequences if they fail to comply? Who talks about the thick madam who after praising the Christian go on Sunday, goes to work on Monday threatening anyone who she doesn't like with sack letter? Who talks about the military personnel who beat, maim and sometimes kill innocent civilians? Who talks about the top politicians who according to Nuhu Ribadu, embezzle over $10 billion USD every month? Who talks about them? It's only the hungry policeman on the street that people look at as the worst criminal.
It's how we Africans are my friend NOT limited to policemen alone. We tend to mis-use any position we find ourselves. All these people claiming "holy holy" on this forum (e.g ksurrina) are the same people that will loot funds in monumental proportions if they find themselves in govt office. They will say their god has answered the prayers and this is their time. They will steal govt money while being covered by the blood of Jesus Christ or in the name of Allah and feel justified with what they are doing because they give stolen tithes to the "man of god". Who is fooling who?
Leave the policemen alone abeg. You all will do the same if you were in their shoes. Try standing in the hot sun for six hours a day for 3 weeks and see if you won't run mad...lol
End of!
WELL SAID............ all join....lol
Posted: at 26-09-2010 11:41 PM (13 years ago) | Hero
as far as am concern we dont have police in nigeria, what we have are some group of baberian on black shit cloth bullying nigerian cityzen and surpoting the chriminals.....
Posted: at 27-09-2010 12:04 AM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac
mezkaz18
ikennaya
ksurrina
cadanre
pp1973pp
yusufgiwa
nice9ija
Teejay2
mydicksweet
donuche
dollar22
princedafe
agabs
ceejay58
derbi
TRENDING GISTS 
Watch Touching Video Of Lady Surprising Boyfriend Who’s An Okada Rider
Sports Minister, John Enoh Roots For Peseiro’s Return To Super Eagles
Just in: EFCC Withdraws Suit Against Yahaya Bello In Appeal Court Over Alleged Fr@ud
Federal Govt Suspends Dana Airline Indefinitely Over Safety Concerns