Something I find very interesting happened recently.
According to media reports, Charles Ukoniwe, a former operative of the Mobile Police (MOPOL) unit of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was denied asylum by a Federal Court in Ottawa, Canada.
The court’s decision came after Ukoniwe sought a judicial review of the earlier decision of the country’s immigration department, which had denied him asylum for his possible involvement in crimes while he served as a police officer in Nigeria.
But that is not the interesting part.
Judge Patrick Gleeson in his July 16 ruling, held that any Nigerian who willingly joins the Nigeria Police Force will be guilty by association before the Canadian judicial system and the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, notwithstanding whether or not the person committed gruesome crimes often associated with the NPF. He expressed satisfaction with the immigration department’s decision and held that the application be dismissed.
The judge’s decision was premised on the landmark 2013 case of former Congolese representative to UN, Rachidi Ekanza Ezokola, in which the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that anyone who knowingly participates in an organisation or regime linked to crimes against humanity will not receive protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Ukoniwe is not the only ex-policeman to have suffered such fate. Earlier in April, another Canadian judge, Sébastien Grammond, also denied asylum to Olushola Popoola, a former member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on the grounds of his association with the police unit.
Popoola had also requested for a judicial review of the decision of the immigration department which found him inadmissible into the country on the grounds of his membership of the NPF.
The judgements reminded me of the story of an old man who made his daughters promise him they’ll never bring him a police man son-in-law.
The man who had six daughters called them one day that he had something very important to discuss with them.
When they had all gathered, he started by telling them how much he loved them all and wished nothing, not even marriage or death could separate them from him.
He went on to say even though death is inevitable, there are some things that man can stop.
The old man, therefore, made each of the daughters promise him that they would never accept a marriage proposal from a policeman, reason being that the police were the most corrupt and most unconscionable people around. He was of the belief that because of the way the policemen conduct themselves and offend people in the process, too many people had placed curses on them that will affect his children if they got married to one.
He said if any of them, however, decided to get entangled with a policeman in his lifetime, he will disown that daughter.
Officers and men of the NPF have often come under harsh criticism from citizens and rights organisations for issues bothering on violations of the rights of people, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, physical and sexual assault, extrajudicial killing and torture of suspects, demanding bribe and extortion, among others. Extortion attempts by police at road blocks have often led to the killing of innocent civilians in what has famously come to be known as accidental discharge.
In its 91 years existence, the police has maintained a history of engaging in unprofessional, corrupt, and criminal conduct that have earned it the reputation of one of the most unattractive jobs.
The high level unemployment in the country is the reason many of those, who would ordinarily not take a police job, now lobby and even pay bribes to be recruited into the force.
In 2020, there was a civil movement against the Special Anti-Robbery Unit of the police, popularised by the #ENDSARS tag on social media, to end police brutality against citizens. Citizens, particularly young people, had gory tales to tell about their ordeals with men of the unit.
Be that as it may, no one should be punished or denied opportunities for working in an organisation that is corrupt, especially when they have not been found to have been actively involved in those practices.
However, this underscores the need for the government to in an effective manner, address the issues that have made corruption and violation of human rights endemic in the police force.
The police force is in dire need of reforms and this must be done expeditiously to save what is left of its glory.
Furthermore, let those who are found culpable of any crimes be held to account, rather than a situation where people are punished for offences they did not commit.
Until the police is reformed, fate such as befell Ukoniwe and Popoola will be the lot of more of its ex-personnel and more policemen will miss out on the opportunity of marrying the girls of their dreams just because they happened to be in the wrong profession.
