Nigeria’s grim poverty profile — with the World Bank projecting the number of poor citizens to hit 95.1 million in 2022 — makes access to justice for many low-income earners
November 15, 2022 9:00 AMthe number of poor citizens to hit 95.1 million in 2022 — makes access to justice for many low-income earners herculean. This is worsened by the police force’s many extortionist practices that continue to keep the agency out of reach of the common man. TheCable’s STEPHEN KENECHI went undercover to five police stations in Lagos and documented what it takes to get police help. He reports on how underfunding of the force deprives many of the right to justice.
Justice, even outside of Lagos, is not free. Reporting cases that require the Nigeria Police Force to do an investigation often cost the victim a fortune that has, over the years, found its way into police lingo as “mobilisation fee”. This extortionist practice is pervasive and applies at every point of mobilising the police to act on a case. Yet, it is hardly called out, as victims fear harming their interest in such matters.
“The man forced himself on her, dropped the sum of ₦1000 on the desk, and left,” the lawyer narrated. Obute’s case is far from being the first of its kind. In Onitsha, a city located on the eastern bank of River Niger, a bereaved father’s inability to pay ₦150,000 described as fuel money, “DSS tracks for us. If the client is arrested, put the cost in the money you want to recover,” she adds.
The Nigerian police typically use pickup trucks and armoured vehicles for many of their domestic operations. Patrol vehicles with a team of officers are usually deployed to predefined locations across communities where they stay on standby daily until contacted by stations for emergency response when such cases arise. Others are often patrolling within a defined locale all day, consuming fuel and ultimately wearing out.
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