JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Center (RULAAC) has said it has taken note of the response of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to allegations made by Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), at the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt, regarding alleged police complicity in the kidnapping.
RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the organization agrees with the Nigeria Police Force that allegations of this gravity should not be established through speculation, sweeping accusations or trials by the public. Individual police officers should not be presumed guilty just because charges have been brought against them.
However, the appropriate response to serious allegations regarding possible criminal conduct by police personnel is a credible, independent and transparent investigation – not dismissal or institutional defence, he said, adding that
VDM’s allegations cannot be considered in complete isolation from long-standing concerns and previous cases in which police or other security personnel have been accused, and in some cases believed, to have facilitated criminal activity, including kidnappings, either through direct participation or by providing information to criminal networks.
According to Nwanguma, RULAAC is particularly concerned about the persistent contradiction between the multiplicity of security checkpoints on major Nigerian highways and the continued occurrence of kidnappings and other violent crimes.
He said: “Checkpoints are set up ostensibly to deter crime, identify suspects, gather intelligence and protect travellers. Yet kidnappers continue to operate on major highways. This raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of these deployments and, importantly, the security and management of information obtained from motorists and travellers.
“Instances have also been reported where security checkpoints were dismantled or security personnel were withdrawn shortly before abductions occurred. In at least one such case, a state governor publicly questioned who had authorized the withdrawal of security personnel from a checkpoint prior to a subsequent abduction. The issue reportedly generated debate in the National Assembly but did not produce a satisfactory public solution.
“These circumstances, in themselves, do not demonstrate complicity, but they raise issues serious enough to warrant an investigation.
“RULAAC therefore believes that the present dispute offers an opportunity to investigate a much broader systemic issue:
“Are there weaknesses, failures or corruption in security checkpoint operations that allow kidnappers to gain information on potential victims or exploit gaps created by the withdrawal or redeployment of security personnel?
Nwanguma said the investigation should examine, among other things:
1. Previous allegations and confirmed cases involving police or other security personnel accused of facilitating kidnappings or providing information to criminal groups.
2. The operational effectiveness of highway checkpoints, including whether their deployment patterns match the locations and times of reported abductions.
3. The circumstances surrounding the withdrawal or dismantling of checkpoints shortly before particular abductions, including who authorized those decisions, the information on which they were based, and whether the decisions were adequately documented.
4. The management of information obtained from travelers at checkpoints, including what information is collected, who has access to it, and what safeguards exist against information leaks.
5. Control, supervision and rotation of checkpoint personnel, particularly in areas affected by organized kidnapping networks.
6. Complaints previously lodged against individual officers or formations and whether such complaints have been investigated and acted upon.
7. Whether there is a correlation between passing through particular checkpoints and the subsequent targeting of victims, while recognizing that correlation alone would not demonstrate criminal complicity.
RULAAC also believes that such an investigation should not be conducted solely as an internal police disciplinary exercise where allegations concern possible criminal collaboration between police personnel and kidnappers.
“We therefore call for appropriate involvement and oversight by institutions of civil accountability, including the Police Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission, and, where evidence of criminal conduct emerges, the relevant judicial and investigative authorities.
The “unknown gunmen” issue.
RULAAC, it further said, is also concerned about the continued use of the phrase “unknown armed men” in circumstances where violent attacks have occurred repeatedly over prolonged periods.
The perpetrators of crimes may be legitimately unknown at the initial stage of an investigation. But where attacks repeat in identifiable locations and follow recognizable patterns, the continued failure to successfully identify, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators raises legitimate questions about the effectiveness of intelligence gathering, investigations and prosecutions.
The public has the right to ask: who are these authors? Who finances them? Who supplies them? Who provides them with information? Who negotiates their ransoms? And why do they remain beyond the reach of the law?
These are not questions intended to undermine security personnel. These are necessary questions to strengthen citizens’ trust in the institutions responsible for protecting citizens.
Investigate the accusation, not the person
“RULAAC does not support VDM’s allegations as established fact, nor does it believe that the allegations should be dismissed simply because they were made publicly or by a controversial public figure.
We therefore urge Mr Otse to present any credible evidence in his possession to the relevant investigating authorities.
“At the same time, we call on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to demonstrate institutional trust by subjecting the allegations to a credible and independently verifiable investigation.
“The NPF should not view the audit as an attack on the institution. Accountability protects honest police officers and strengthens public trust in the Force.
“If the allegations are false, a credible investigation will determine so. If they are true, those responsible will face disciplinary and criminal consequences.
“The principle is simple: no police officer should be found guilty because of an accusation. But no allegation of police complicity in kidnapping should be deemed unworthy of investigation just because it is difficult or inconvenient for the institution concerned.
“RULAAC therefore calls for a full, independent and evidence-based investigation into allegations of security sector complicity in the abductions, including the circumstances surrounding the deployment and withdrawal of highway checkpoints and the possible leak of information obtained from travellers.
“Nigerians deserve to know that those charged with protecting them are not only present on the highways, but operate with integrity, professionalism and responsibility.
“Investigate the allegations, not the person who made them. Establish the facts. Publish the findings. Hold wrongdoers accountable.
Post views:
182
